Donald Trump does not necessarily suffer from a single, mental illness such as anxiety or depression. He, instead, shows symptoms of a “continuous, mental disturbance” known as “Antisocial Personality Disorder,” a diagnosis found in sociopaths, according to prominent psychiatrist Lance Dodes, quoted by the online magazine Salon.com . Dodes recently retired from his position as assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
“To understand his actions, it is essential to keep in mind that sociopaths have only one goal: to enhance themselves, and that in pursuing their self-interest,” Dodes said in the interview last week, which also appeared on the site Raw Story . “Cheating, conning, lying, stealing, threatening are all done with no remorse.”
Dodes, who is a contributor to the book The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President , found on Amazon , explained that Trump has a “long history” of behavior consistent with the diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder.
The signs of the condition include:
•Deceitfulness.
•Impulsivity, the failure to “plan ahead,” or acting without first considering the consequences of one’s actions.
•Irritabile and aggressive behavior.
•Indifference to the pain one’s actions cause to others, or the repeated tendency to rationalize or justify actions that hurt other people.
Trump is not only a criminal and traitor, he’s nuts. He is “a very sick man. He is truly very sick. He’s an extreme, incapable, disordered, sick individual.”
~ Dr. Lance Dodes, Harvard psychiatrist https://t.co/7lawMxaMda
— Eugenia Stonecroft (@EugeniaStonecr1) March 1, 2019
The terms “sociopath” and “psychopath” are often used interchangeably in popular language, but according to an explanation by the medical site Web MD , there are some subtle but important differences between psychopaths and sociopaths. Psychopaths according to the site, lack any conscience whatsoever. A sociopath may have a conscience, “but it’s weak.” In other words, Web MD explained, the mild feelings of guilt or remorse for morally wrong or damaging actions felt by a sociopath, “won’t stop his behavior.”
The site also says that while psychopaths tend to be “cold-hearted,” – a quality which makes them often difficult to recognize due to their ability to display even-keeled emotions or mince the emotions of others — sociopaths are more likely to be “hot headed.” That is, sociopaths are “less able to play along.”
With sociopaths, their behavior makes it more obvious that they are acting in their own self-interest.
Sociopaths can often be spotted by the type of language they employ, according to an explanation by Psychology Today , which notes that sociopaths frequently use extremely positive or extremely negative words. They are “fast talkers,” whose “words are mostly false.”
According to an analysis of Trump’s speech by The Atlantic magazine, Trump’s use of language is characterized by highly positive adjectives such as “amazing,” “big league,” “incredible,” and “unbelievable.”
At the same time, Trump frequently uses highly negative adjectives such as “crooked,” “disgusting,” “horrible,” “stupid,” and “terrible.”
