Baltimore psychologist heads effort to 'warn' about Trump's mental health
Baltimore SunSep 24, 2017
In 1969,
"It does run in our family to be mavericks," he said. "Or rebels with a cause."
President
Trump tweeted his displeasure with Curry and the rest of the Warriors after reports that the...
President
Trump tweeted his displeasure with Curry and the rest of the Warriors after reports that the...
(
These days Gartner is gaining national attention for a cause of his own -- and creating a stir in his field -- by trying to convince voters that President
From a small office at Sheppard and
The Change.org petition, launched in January and aimed at Trump's cabinet, has garnered more than 62,000 signatures. But it has also drawn substantial criticism, and not just from Trump supporters. Both the
And yet the campaign by Gartner and others appears to be expanding. Duty to Warn is planning to hold conferences in cities across the country on
Gartner -- a Princeton graduate and former assistant professor at the
Gartner points to the president's insistence that President
"Unless he doesn't believe a word he's saying, there's evidence here of someone, really, who's actually disconnected from reality," said Gartner, 59. "We have someone in charge of the nuclear codes who is not in touch with reality. I can't imagine anything more dangerous."
Among Gartner's most notable critics is psychiatrist
To meet the criteria for a narcissistic personality disorder, Frances said, Trump would have to display distress or impairment himself. One could argue he's caused distress, Frances said, but he doesn't appear to experience it.
"I think that this guy and other people like him mean well and are sincere and believe that somehow they have a professional responsibility to warn America about the horrors of Trump," said Frances, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at
Frances, who published a book this month titled "Twilight of American Sanity," is hardly a fan of the 45th president. He describes Trump as "the biggest threat to democracy since the Civil War." But he says that doesn't mean he has a mental illness.
The effort to apply a diagnosis to Trump, Frances said, "confuses bad behavior for mental illness."
A
Trump supporters frequently say the president's brazen rhetoric is a big part of the reason why he was elected. His voters did not want another carefully scripted, play-it-safe politician.
And as with any politician, it's impossible to sort out what Trump believes from political theater.
"Time and again on the campaign and in the
North Korean leader
It was the first time for a North Korean leader to issue such a direct statement against a
North Korean leader
It was the first time for a North Korean leader to issue such a direct statement against a
(
Collins said Gartner "is clearly pushing a political agenda, and clearly doesn't like the president."
Duty to Warn has reopened a heated discussion in the psychiatric community over the Goldwater Rule, the 1973 prohibition on analyzing people from afar. It's named for Sen.
The policy was reaffirmed this spring by the
"The complexity of today's media environment demands that we take special care when speaking publicly about mental health issues," the association says on its website.
The Goldwater rule doesn't apply to Gartner, who is a psychologist. But the
"APA's Code of Ethics counsels psychologists against diagnosing living individuals whom they have not personally assessed," spokeswoman
Gartner dismisses the rule and similar guidelines as a product of professional associations concerned primarily with protecting members from lawsuits. It is preferable to meet with patients before assessing them, he agrees, but in cases where that's not possible it shouldn't be a requirement.
Much can be gleaned, he says, by observing years of public interactions.
"The only people who aren't allowed to comment on
The phrase "duty to warn" has its antecedent in a similar ethical dilemma. It's based on the name used for laws on the books in at least 28 states, including
Garter isn't alone in his assessment of the Goldwater Rule.
"My feeling is that the rule was based on a very specific kind of thing: Financial fear," he said.
Frank said he relies on principles of applied psychoanalysis to build profiles of presidents.
"It's true that I don't get them in my office -- and that's a serious issue," he said. "But there's nothing I can do about that."
Asked whether he has come to any conclusions yet about Trump, Frank declined to offer a diagnosis.
"He's
The Duty to Warn effort has drawn some attention on
Supporters of the group point to a private conversation caught on an open microphone this summer between Republican Sen.
Republican Sen.
But those comments have been exceptions to the rule in both parties.
(
Rep.
Raskin, a constitutional law professor from the liberal wing of the party, says he is addressing a long-term process issue, not targeting the current president.
Raskin, whose bill has 31 Democratic co-sponsors, declined to say whether he agrees with Gartner on Trump's mental health.
"I do not take a position on that and I don't think it's my role to take a position on that," he said. "There are enough signs of chaos in some of the dealings of the president that it reminds us of the importance of the 25th Amendment, but I personally will reserve judgment on presidential fitness -- that's why we have the process."
Raskin is set to receive an award from Duty to Warn at its meeting in
"They appreciate the work that I'm doing in trying to flesh out the constitutional process," he said.
Gartner is a registered Democrat, and has contributed to Democratic campaigns, including
"I didn't like
Gartner says the petition will be sent to each member of Trump's cabinet next month.
He acknowledges he's unlikely to get the kind of quick response his mother received decades ago at the Oak Room Bar.
"All along I've felt, even if it was a hopeless cause, that we still needed to speak out," Gartner said. "Bearing witness to these things is important. And I think bringing out the truth is important."
___
(c)2017 The Baltimore Sun
Visit The Baltimore Sun at www.baltimoresun.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.