A clarion call regarding
Trump’s mental health
Trump’s latest post/repost of the Obamas on his Truth Social should come as no surprise. It reflects his life-long racism, his apparent view that people of color are defective and inferior to whites and deserve only leftover scraps of common decency whenever white society chooses to so provide.
Look around his Cabinet table, his top advisers, and his appointees to positions of authority and power within our federal government.
But Trump’s dysfunctional personality appears multifaceted. And while I am neither a psychiatrist or psychologist, I found instructive on this subject a publication entitled “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder” (DSM), fifth edition, utilized by mental health experts in diagnosing mental illness. The DSM’s description of the antisocial personality disorder, sometimes referred to as sociopathy, may be of assistance in that inquiry.
According to the DSM, certain patterns of behavior emerge when diagnosing this disorder. People who may suffer from it repeatedly disregard or violate the rights of others, lie, deceive or manipulate others, act impulsively, or disregard their or others’ safety.
They may violate the law and be subject to arrest and/or prosecution, while typically showing no remorse or guilt for such conduct.
Additional indicators include conning others for personal profit or pleasure; impulsivity or failure to plan ahead; irritability and aggressiveness; consistent irresponsibility including repeated failures to honor financial obligations; rationalizing having hurt, mistreated or stolen from another.
Whether or not Trump has been or could be officially diagnosed with a mental health disorder should not end the people’s inquiry. Rather, his display of these characteristics should itself be a clarion call for congressional inquiry as to his fitness to continue serving as president of the United States.
Edward H. Schulman
Kailua-Kona
The president acts like
a pirate on the high seas
From the children’s book, “I Wonder Why the Sea Is Salty”: “Pirates roamed the high seas, on the lookout for merchant ships loaded with fine goods and treasure. When the pirates found a ship, they boarded it, attacked the crew, and stole all the valuable goodies.”
Does this resemble the current behavior of the highest office-holder of the United States regarding oil from Venezuela?
Might that person be considered a pirate?
Vivian Green
Waikoloa
