Trump has a Delusional Disorder

[Nancy Waterman]

He has an underlying Narcissistic Personality Disorder (axis 2), which under pressure has caused such decompensation that he now has an axis one Delusional Disorder. Everything he perceives is filtered through either his grandiose delusions (he is the greatest, the best, the most winning, etc.) or his paranoid delusions (if they criticize me they are part of a conspiracy to destroy me, etc.). Nothing else even registers. Nothing about the nation's health care, national security, etc. It is only what feeds the grandiosity or must be destroyed because it triggers the paranoia. He is very, very sick and the 25th Amendment should be invoked. But his minions are too terrified of his rage.

And amazingly, his sickness has metastasized to his followers, such that they also buy into the grandiose and the paranoid delusions. It has become a collective psychosis. It may be that if this crazy train hits the unforgiving stone wall of reality and multiple people in his cult get sick, things may change. But he is good at redirecting the blame and invoking their sense of vicitmization. So we will see.

[The Magistrate]

1. The Troops Are The Mirror Of Their Officer, Ma'am

His followers see Trump as themselves writ large, and this identification with the creature renders them even more susceptible to his narcissistic bluster. He says what they think, and lives as they would like to live. Taking up the red hat is practically a sacramental partaking of his body and blood, making him a part of them, and them a part of him.

[Peacetrain]

2. You know I think that most people just cannot stand up to the delusions..

He just keeps pounding until he crumbles other peoples resolves and replaces their outlook on things with his. This is truly the work of a dictator.. that is how they do it..

[leftieNanner]

3. I am truly surprised that he hasn't exploded yet

Not just his rage filled tantrums. We know he does that on a daily basis. I mean, truly explode, like - KABLOOEY! He is obese, he eats terribly, he does not get any form of exercise, he doesn't sleep much, and his sick little brain is constantly in fight-or-flight mode.

The fact that the Republican party stays silent during this is astounding!

[CrispyQ]

10. They stay silent because they are getting what they want.

Did you see the photo of the corona bill signing? McConnell could not have had a bigger shit eating grin on his face. They have opened the Treasury to the corporations and they have almost accomplished one-party rule. I can't even imagine where we would be if we hadn't won the House in 2018.

And I'm surprised too, that he hasn't blown a gasket. We sure deserve for him to!

[Brainfodder]

4. Not Grifter Jackass? Interesting....

[Wellstone ruled]

5. His Mental Make up has always

been as you describe. As for his followers,they suffer a major case of Stockholm Syndrome. Another Century,another false profit.

Seen this ugly show once before in my lifetime,and it did not end well for Millions of innocent people in Eourpe either.

[UpInArms]

6. Am borrowing this

Thank you for your clarity

[Nancy Waterman]

8. please send it everywhere

We need a clear description of what is going on. Thanks.

[UpInArms]

12. 👍🏼

[Nancy Waterman]

7. I have seen families

where a severely mentally ill but very aggressive young adult (usually male) lives at home and essentially rules the roost. Everyone bends to his will because they are so intimidated. The intensity of the energy pushing the crazy, uncowed by healthy boundaries or reality, is overwhelming. And Trump is a master manipulator of people's perceptions, using the media to push his agenda.

But I am convinced that he perceives nothing anymore outside of his delusions. That is why all of the talk about "if only.." he would listen to this or that or step up and act in this or that way is useless. That is why the only people he listens to are the flatterers who couch any advice in how this will make him seem the greatest president ever.

[treestar]

9. which makes it strange those surrounding him

who could invoke the 25th are afraid to do it. At this point, his savaging someone with words can't really cause the end of their career or whatever. Has he got Pence and the rest joined with him in his delusions? Reality is an option for them but it's like they are in Jonestown with no access to real information on what's going on in the world.

[Nancy Waterman]

13. It forces people way out of their comfort zones

to respond effectively and forcefully to someone like Trump. Culturally, we have normalized and accepted ways of interacting. When someone is so out of that zone, it is really hard and takes a while to step up at all. It takes exceptional clarity and courage, which is clearly in short supply these days. Over his presidency, he has continually broken the normal barriers of accepted behavior, as well as precedents, protocols, and even legal requirements. It has taken a long time for people to realize no amount of cajoling will bring him back to what we accept as normal. He even successfully branded it in the beginning as him being superior to "political correctness".

[kentuck]

11. "a collective psychosis..."

It may have hapoened before WWII, but this is for most of us our first experience with such a psychosis.

[Me.]

14. I Am Wondering

if, delusions aside, the day comes when it is all too much for him to handle and he collapses into himself. I feel the potential is there for the wrong question from the wrong reporter to trigger a meltdown on camera where it would be impossible for anyone to mistake it for what it is? I don't see how he can take the pressure that is building or does delusion lift him above it.

[Nancy Waterman]

15. the delusions protect the ego

All of the character (or personality) disorders have a somewhat fragile ego. Ideally, the ego is like the captain of the ship. It synthesizes information and directs the ship in a safe and effective way. Some of its role can also be called "executive function", which is the ability to pull together information and apply it effectively to necessary tasks. I think Trump is very lacking in executive function.

Generally, Personality or Character Disorders are more likely to project blame rather than take responsibility, because the ego is too fragile to handle the criticism. Under pressure, they may develop an axis one diagnosis on top of the axis two character disorder. The delusions with Trump have moved him from simply projecting blame and getting angry at criticism to having an entire delusional bubble through which to filter everything. The delusions protect him from an increasingly critical world. I don't know that we would see a meltdown so much as him simply insisting on his version of reality despite any evidence to the contrary.

[Me.]

16. Thank You

Fascinating

[Laura PourMeADrink]

17. Do you think his life, career, and especially that he

got to be pResident caused this condition? The latter what tipped him over?

If you watch the 4 pt documentary on him on Netflix, he bought or talked his way out of every obstacle he ever encountered starting with his first RE deal. He likely bribed the NYC council into giving him a 40 year tax abatement.

I think seeing him in action every single day with his press conferences, it is obvious he is sick though. He only wants Questions pitched to him that are softballs and excoriates anyone else. You would think the press would have figured this out somehow and would become more adept at it.