This program is read by Alex Hyde-White, William Dufris, Hillary Huber, Nanette Gartrell, Leonard L. Glass, Luba Kessler, Bandy X. Lee, Elizabeth Mika, P. J. Ochlan, Jennifer Contarino Panning, Thomas Singer, Rosemary Sword, Michael J. Tansey, Betty P. Teng, and Steve Wruble. The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump describes the consensus view held by two dozen psychiatrists and psychologists that Donald Trump is dangerously mentally ill and that he presents a clear and present danger to the nation and our own mental health. This is not normal. Since the start of Donald Trump’s presidential run, one question has quietly but urgently permeated the observations of concerned citizens: What is wrong with him? Constrained by the American Psychiatric Association’s “Goldwater rule,” which inhibits mental health professionals from diagnosing public figures they have not personally examined, many of those qualified to answer this question have shied away from discussing the issue at all. The public has thus been left to wonder whether he is mad, bad, or both. In The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, twenty-seven psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health experts argue that, in Mr. Trump’s case, their moral and civic “duty to warn” America supersedes professional neutrality. They then explore Trump’s symptoms and potentially relevant diagnoses to find a complex, if also dangerously mad, man. Philip Zimbardo and Rosemary Sword, for instance, explain Trump’s impulsivity in terms of “unbridled and extreme present hedonism.” Craig Malkin speaks about pathological narcissism and politics as a lethal mix. Gail Sheehy, on a lack of trust that exceeds paranoia. Lance Dodes, on sociopathy. Robert Jay Lifton, on the “malignant normality” that can set in everyday life if psychiatrists do not speak up. His madness is catching, too. From the trauma people have experienced under the Trump administration to the cult-like characteristics of his followers, he has created unprecedented mental health consequences across our nation and beyond. It’s not all in our heads. It’s in his. Expertly compiled by author and editor Bandy X. Lee, this insightful audiobook is mental fuel for the concerned, contemplative listener. -- Chapters written by Noam Chomsky, Jennifer Contarino Panning, Howard H. Covitz, Lance Dodes, William J. Doherty, Edwin B. Fisher, Henry J. Friedman, John D. Gartner, Nanette Gartrell, James Gilligan, Leonard L. Glass, James A. Herb, Judith Lewis Herman, Diane Jhueck, Luba Kessler, Bandy X. Lee, Robert Jay Lifton, Craig Malkin, Elizabeth Mika, Dee Mosbacher, David M. Reiss, Tony Schwartz, Gail Sheehy, Thomas Singer, Rosemary Sword, Michael J. Tansey, Betty P. Teng, Harper West, Steve Wruble, and Philip Zimbardo.
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“[In] this insightful collection…medical and legal experts thoughtfully assess diagnoses of Trump’s behavior and astutely explore how to scrutinize political candidates, address client fears, and assess the ‘Trump Effect’ on our social fabric.”
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Estelle Freedman, Robinson Professor in US History at Stanford University