27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President

The book is excellent. The topic is frightening and sadly, I feel there is so little I can do about it. I wonder if my vote will count next time I vote. I don't trust DT any more after reading this than I did before. Well, that makes sense, as there is nothing new in this book for me. But, you should all read it, especially if you voted for Trump and still think he is worth your vote. I would love to talk with you..

First, let me say that I still cannot believe that we have such an incompetent man in the top seat. How could this have happened!
To all the contributors of this (what I believe will become an historic) book, I thank you for putting into words all that we have been feeling, all along. Though increasing my fears, it has made them so crystal clear. We are in so much trouble. So sad. So frightening. So time to oust him.

Right up my alley. I enjoyed all the professional’s take on the dumbest, most narcissistic, lying, sociopath, crudest man to be in the White House. America should be ashamed that we found this bigoted, mysogynistis, sexual abuser and boer appealing to enough to be elected

Without actually diagnosing this seriously ill man, the authors make the case that in any event his behavior alone makes this man a clear and present danger not just to us but to the world. Read it and weep. This man needs to be somewhere else than the WH.

Excellent review of the psychological make up of Donald Trump. We learn that the mental health professionals and professional political philosophers are called on to speak out about Trump's incorrect behavior. The psychiatrist's call his decisive behavior as malignant normality. Negative behavior that people start to accept, but normally would not go along with it.

wonderful book for those who want insight into Donald J Trump.. Insecurity makes him unqualified. note - unlikely that there will be 25th amendment as. Trump has surrounded himself with Evangelicals to insulate himself.

This book evaluates Trump from many vantage points and areas of expertise. It reaches deeply into the behaviors of Trump and how they impact us, our society and threats to the world. And it offers clear actions that the authors suggest are critical. As a psychologist I find this book excellent. It is also excellent reading for any who are concerned about our country

Have to read this in small portions as the info is distressing knowing our nation is enduring the tyranny of a mad man in the WH who has appointed other asylum residents to Cabinet positions (with the blessings of the GOP House and Senate majorities). Their sole purpose is to dismantle our democracy, destroy our environment, provoke nuclear war, and cast the most vulnerable citizens out into the street...homeless, sick, and destitute...while they sit in their counting rooms wallowing in wealth acquired through their offices.

This book is a thoughtful, reasoned, passionate and sobering look at the frightening repercussions of allowing a dangerous leader to remain in power unimpeded and without intervention. If the leader lacks the skills, temperament, balance and empathy required to successfully steer a country, then unprecedented disaster can easily ensue. Lee has created a comprehensive compilation of 27 psychological experts gathered together, duty-bound to share their considerable knowledge, education and insights regarding psychological disorders, personality disorders, impairment and what can happen when a disordered individual ascends to power. The book offers vindication and validation for anyone alarmed and incredulous at the erratic, impulsive and disturbing behaviors of the potential narcissist. It is a relief to know that others see what seems so obvious. The book is intended for everyone, but the audience will be predominantly those people who already agree with the psychological practitioners conclusions. Staunch supporters of DT are unlikely to seek out this book. Yet Lee and his colleagues have written a masterwork of great scope and depth. It is a warning and a clarion call that we all must heed. Our nation is at risk, and to remain willfully blind and oblivious is to do so at our own peril. Perhaps most of all, this book made me miss the calm, inclusive, intelligent and compassionate leadership of former President, Barack Obama.

The mental health experts who wrote this book warn us of the truly alarming state of our president's abnormal personality. It is important to recognize that he is unfit and why that is. Whatever your politics at least consider this book as a warning that must be heeeded.

Although at times the articles here read like an internal debate among psychologists on whether or not it's justified to breach the "Goldwater Rule" (no diagnosis without interviews and testing), Trump's mind is on record through many public statements (arguably more public statements than any President in history) -- and that record expands daily. This is a must read because most of the psychiatrists/psychologists writing conclude that Trump is dangerous. Whatever the diagnosis (i.e malignant narcissist, sociopath, etc), he's deteriorating. The rot at the center of our government is spreading. Allowed to continue, it will not end well for us.

Fascinating and I commend the psychiatrists, mental health professionals and lawyers for upholding their duty to warn rather than bowing to the American Psychiatric Association's pressure. I now understand why I go about life in malaise since Trump was elected and glad I am not alone.

Please keep speaking out! We can never allow Trump and his divisiveness to be normalized.

Frightening but very clear about why Trump's behavior patterns create a present danger for our country. Each medical person explains what behaviors of his have caused them to create a voice about the dangers he presents. Logical, non-partisan reasoning.

Very enlightening read. I've felt all along that Trump was unfit for office, especially the highest office in the country. This book informs the reader the whys and wherefores Trump is so dangerous to our country.

The stand these psychiatrists are taking takes courage and intestinal foritude, and their conclusions are very compelling for impeachment of our president. This is an historic work in the history of American psychiatry and politics, never before necessary until now. The book may tell us more about ourselves as Americans than Donald Trump. Sad, very sad.

This is a very sobering book regarding the mental health of a man who is given a job above his abilities. If you are concerned about our nation, and our future, read this gathering of essays. I also recommend a large bottle of wine, to help numb the pain of this election and our new reality.

I have always believed that no matter who wins the presidential election, we must put our differences aside and come together as a nation. I tried, I really tried but this time I feel differently and this book explains why beautifully.

This book isn't simply about the pathology of Trump; it’s a book on the dangers of what his behavior brings out in people—on both sides (pro & anti-Trump). I have witnessed first-hand the hatred and anger his rhetoric stirs up in people (even in people I thought I knew) and it scares the heck out of me.

This year, at the age of 60 I became a motorcycle rider—something I would have never guessed I could or would do. The first patch I wanted to get for my leather vest was a no-brainer—the American flag. At the store, I picked up the flag patch and a Mexican couple looked at me with a strange expression, shook their head and left. As I paid for the flag I wondered what that was all about. I found out a week later. I was out riding and came across a group of pro-Trumper's carrying big American flags. They proudly and loudly proclaimed the ‘flag’ as theirs and that Trump was Making America great again by getting rid of all ‘those people’ who shouldn’t be here (in the US). The couple’s reaction became clear—and I was mortified. Sadly, I opted not to put the flag on my vest for fear that someone would think I was a racist. One biker even pointed at me and with venom in his eye’s said, “Did you vote for crooked Hillary?”

This is just a small sample of the ‘Trump effect.’

Starting with the forward by Dr. Lifton on Malignant Normality, to Dr. Wruble on Daddy Issues to Dr. Singer on Trump and the American Collective Psyche, I found myself nodding my head with one aha after another. And for those of you who are self-aware like me, it will have you taking your own inventory and vowing not to let Trump’s irrational rhetoric infect you too.

I do not view this book as simply another book criticizing a new president – there’s a real concern here with the potential to create even bigger issues. I want to thank Bandy Lee and all of the Psychiatrists who felt it was their duty to inform the American people about the Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.

Terrifying, but not to my surprise. Explains why my fear of Trump starting WW III is not unfounded. I wish the naive souls who voted for him would read it and make sure to choose more wisely next time.

Very grateful for the authors of this book. We have a very dangerous president and this book gives clarifies the issues facing Americans with this unstable POTUS. Great work. Please now tell us what we can do!

I love this book. It answers so many questions. Questions that I have had for a long time about Trump. I recommend everyone read it. It takes a while because it’s very in depth. Also there are parts that you find yourself saying, “Oh my God!”

That question and more is dissected and analyzed with expert psychiatrists and based upon the obviously unhinged and rather ( to put as mildly as possible) disruptive behavior of Trump's past actions. Of course, because Trump is still (regrettably) the president, there will be many observations not examined. Nevertheless, this book is a expertly crafted book that does a rather comprehensive and well job at analyzing Trump's maelstrom personality. I honestly believe Trump is just plainly a ill-tempered, bratty, vain, lying, etc, etc, etc...but this book makes a compelling case of Trump's inane mental state. Before I finish, just a quick caution about reviewing books that are in this nature. There will be Pro-Trump trolls that may write unsavory (racist, sexist, etc.)comments on your reviews. Being critical of Lord Trump, is apparently unacceptable, despite the scathing things they have said about Obama. It seems like these people have no life as they as stalking book reviews critical of Trump and spewing idiotic nonsense on people's reviews.Well, that is all I had to say and I hope my review helped.

Although some of the chapters used technical language that many Americans would find difficult to understand, the writings showed VERY clearly that Trump has many mental and behavioral issues that make him a danger to our country and to all of us. I wish more people would read the book.

My wife bought me this booking early November. She read it first, as a scientist, she found it gave scientific basis to what we both see as a leader with some major psychological problems. I gained language and background for what I see as a major masagnistic, narcissistic, sociopathic, and delusional fool. I think he is dangerous on so many fronts this book struck home 100% . Educate yourself so we don't make the same mistake twice.

This book is a truly outstanding compilation of information from different perspectives, on every aspect of Trump's pathological personality and cognitive impairment, written by prominent mental health professionals and others with perspective on Trump, such as the author who was the ghostwriter for Art of the Deal. This book is a significant gift to the American public, in that it helps with understanding Trump's irrational behavior and how it has affected us, particularly in a chapter called "In Relationship with an Abusive President." The information is of importance to those who have narcissists and sociopaths in their personal lives; it has the potential to enable people to get perspective on this pattern of pathological interaction and to possibly extricate themselves from these relationships, which are increasingly common. Perhaps most importantly, the release of this book has created an open conversation about Trump's impairment, with considerable coverage in the media. Prior to this book, from the beginning of Trump's candidacy, there have been scattered articles expressing concern and confusion about "what's wrong with him?" These articles were rather like "whisperings" about "the crazy uncle," with many, many people, including children, able to see his bizarre behavior and ignorance. This book confirms these reactions, and helps us understand that there is much more cause for concern than many might have realized. This is a frightening read, but it is crucially important that this situation be faced head on by as many people as possible, including elected officials who continue to keep their head in the sand despite Trump's increasingly unhinged behavior. I am a psychologist, and although I knew a lot about narcissism, sociopathy, and cognitive impairment, I learned a tremendous amount of new information and gained perspective on how these problems function in combination, particularly in a person in a position of power. I listened to the book on Audible audiobook, which I would recommend due to the experience of hearing the voices of the individual authors. I will listen to the book again at least once, and will buy the book to have as a reference. I only have a couple of negative reactions: the first few chapters seemed somewhat repetitious, and I was concerned that this would continue throughout the book, but it did not. In fact, even though the different authors spoke about some of the same concepts, they gave their individual perspectives, which enriched my understanding. Another negative reaction: I disliked the fact that author Michael Tansey, Ph.D., chose to state the problem as "Crazy Like a Fox" versus "Crazy Like a Crazy." I understand what he was trying to convey, but using these words does harm to the growing movement to destigmatize mental illness and are offensive to many. Overall, however, I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and feel tremendous gratitude toward the authors for their individual and collective work, and for fulfilling their professional and ethical responsibility of Duty to Warn.

I'm so relieved that this team of thoughtful mental health pros take their "duty to warn" seriously. Like many people, I am hoping that this book will help the US avert some kind of catastrophe, rather than waiting for the catastrophe to happen (as if what we've been living through isn't it's own kind of crisis). I commend Dr. Lee and all of those who joined her for following their consciences to do the right thing during a very difficult time.

This is not a quick read, because there's a lot of information and a lot of subtle differences in the psychiatrists' observations. Not being a medical person, I still have learned a lot -- the difference between malignant narcissism, cognitive impairment, delusional disorder, and sociopathy for starters.

We've all lived through this very perplexing year, knowing something is very, very wrong, and reading all of these observations back to back to back is alarming. We all need to learn as much as we can, and this book goes a long way toward educating those of us not in the mental health field.

When you are finished reading the book, I hope you will pass it along to a friend.

The tenet of the book, that Trump is dangerous irrespective of whether he is mentally ill or not is of great interest, as are the descriptions of his behaviour compared with the signs and symptoms of specific mental illnesses. However, many pages (for most contributors) are wasted on justifying an exception to the Goldwater Rule despite the editor having already written at length on the same issue up front. It was frustratingly repetitive and unnecessary. Some contributors were able to write in a manner suitable for lay readers who wanted to read about the psychological and psychiatric aspects of Trump's behaviour but too many wrote in a highly technical manner best suited to professional and academic publications and audiences. A good read but be prepared to skim over at least half of it.

Multiple essays on various aspects of this POTUS and his attitudes, statements, behaviors -- mostly written by experts in the mental health field but there are a couple of others. Each piece is relatively short, making it an easier read that it otherwise might be. As a professional in mental health (and gerontology), I found a couple of the articles a bit "dense" in terms of clinical lingo but most are quite understandable for any lay person.

At its best this book is very interesting, putting some psychological concepts to Trump's behavior. But it's much too repetitive and in that regard is a failure of editing. There are several essays here that say basically you the same thing. There are only so many times where we need hear about what narcissism is, or that Trump's a narcicisst (of course he is). The book works best when it's more specific than that.

Interesting book. Clean writing, no ranting or raving. Simply opinion not hidden as news, presented clearly as opinion. Large section of book devoted to discussion of whether or not it's fair for "experts" to comment on a president.

Worth the read.

This is a very scary book. I have spent sleepless nights worrying about the damage a seriously ill president could inflict on our democracy. In my career I have worked with and around mentally ill individuals. I find this assessment of the president believable.

My psychology pals and I had taken guesses during the campaign as to what ails Donald Trump. We came up with narcissistic personality disorder, anti-social personality disorder, malignant narcissism, hypomania and delusional disorder, the exact same conditions mentioned by the psychiatrists and psychoanalysts who wrote this book. Thus, the book affirmed that we have our heads together; we know what is going on; and we can assess a complex situation. Despite being complex, the book was a joy to read for several reasons. During the election, I kept screaming about the lack of mental health practitioners weighing in on Donald Trump. Certainly, this was the time to do it. I kept posting about Trump's mental health problems whenever I could find an article. I expressed my own opinion even though I have only an MBA and maybe ten post-grad psychology courses. I'm not an expert, but the situation was dire. I didn't want to go down as a person who didn't warn people when I was capable of doing so. I'm so grateful that a few dozen professionals finally spoke out. Hopefully, it isn't too late. Another reason this book is a joy to read is because the authors are solidly in touch with reality when so many Americans don't seem to be. It's nice to have the company of well-regarded practitioners. Lastly, I loved the book because it had some meat on the bone. The authors fleshed out their observations and provided a lot of insight. Yeah, I could write ten pages on Trump's mental health, but the authors gave me maybe another 300 pages worth of details and explanations that helped further my mental health education.

For those who don’t understand mental illness or how Trumps behavioral issues can impact you and your family and our nation, this is for you. Thank you for having the courage to put pen to paper and write about this important issue at this tragic time in our nations history. It’s a great read and a superb gift for the holidays!

I'm not crazy about this book. The contributors do take special care to state that they are not making a medical diagnosis but are basing their opinions on Trump's extensive public persona over a long and very public life. However, I feel that most of their observations and conclusions are obvious. Yes, he is a narcissistic sociopath, but what else is new? Maybe my reaction is because I have personally had a long association with a sociopath and so I'm sensitive to their behaviors.

The sad thing about this book, and so many others, is that it will not change anyone's mind. As the book states, facts have nothing to do with the right's opinion of Trump. This is aggravated by the nearly complete lack of meaningful conversation between people of different opinions along with the fact that we now have a government based on hate rather than policy. Good luck, world.

Experts in mental health do not diagnose the President. They simply point out his dangerous personality characteristics, lack of discipline and his unwillingness to learn or take help from anyone.

The situation is dire and hope is becoming more futile everyday this doesn’t change.

I think this should be required reading for every republican congressman! Trump should be removed from office! HE IS UNFIT FOR OFFICE! Republicans are aiding and abetting a madman in our highest office and are destroying our democracy and constitutional freedoms! Their refusal to act responsibly will not be forgotten! God help us all!

Perhaps it's because I don't have a background in mental health, but there seemed to be some repetition in the articles in the book. I found it very insightful, and of course frightening. Very frightening. Overall I found it a good read in easily digestible chunks that helped me better understand the thinking of Trump and the country.

I’m not a psychologist, but I was married to one for forty years, so I was not expecting to learn a lot about mental illness from reading this book. I bought it because I wanted to support the mental health professional who got out of their comfort zones to do their patriotic duty. I did learn a lot. I learned about malignant narcissism, which is not much different from a sociopathy and can be just as dangerous. Most importantly, I learned how a deranged and dangerous political leader can degrade the society in which he lives by setting an example of anti-social behavior and making it seem normal and acceptable to a significant part of population, while causing widespread anxiety and depression among the rest of us.

This book didn't tell me anything I didn't know already. It did confirm what I felt I knew. I would have liked more information about how we can legally get rid of this president. He is doing sooo much damage and I'm afraid of nuclear war.I really don't trust him at all. Have recommended the book on Facebook to my pals who also can't stand him.

Doesn’t matter which side of the aisle your comfortable with, if our President is not healthy physically or mentally, we have a problem: A big problem. The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump provides narrative and examples straight from Mr. Trump’s mouth and tweets that illustrate his mental and cognitive shortcomings. I use the shortcomings politely.

The chapters of the book are written by leading psychiatrists and psychologists along with with people from the President’s life. The narrative is

This book brings to our attention the equivalent of local, national and global concerns that plague us every day. In the case of Donald Trump: UNHEEDED SIGNS, WARNINGS & PSYCHIATRIC DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA: Pathognomonic Politics in the USA 2016 revisited in March 2017 corroborates and underscores the message of this tome.

I have not yet read this book ...just like all those who gave it one star and panned it. In reading these reviews, what i found most significant is that those who gave it five stars were all verified purchases. How dare those who have not tead it, criticize what it has to say.

This book is a complete and utter disgrace. The number one rule as a psychiatrist/psychologist is to understand one's own countertransference and one's own projectioning. Every rule is being broken here -- every rule that facilitates an accurate and objective perception. I am annoyed with hearing irrational arguments about why it is OK to abandon previous standards of journalism and other standards of professional conduct in the single case of Donald Trump. That is the definition of prejudice. There are plenty of narcissists in the world, especially Ivy-league university academics - authoring this work. Bandy Lee is a nobody - holding no active medical license in CA, CT, or NY (as she claims) nor anywhere. Just because one gets 27 other unprofessional non-objective "friend" colleagues together (from the NYC psych community) and collectively do a wrong, does not make it right. Unfortunately, these authors are supposed to be medical professionals, but expose themselves as narcissistic politicians, breaking all ethical standards to keep their own careers afloat by appealing and contributing to popular hysteria.

This is a very uneven collection of pieces. Even people such as myself who view Trump as a very dangerous president should be unsettled by most of the arguments here that mental health professionals should be entitled to overrule voters' decisions, however unwise they might be. Nothing that Trump has done as president is in any way surprising or at odds with how he campaigned as a candidate. Although there are some insightful contributions, as a group, these essays made me worry about the hubris of psychiatry and allied professions in asserting their role over judgments about who voters can elect.

Even if you feel Trump is the worst thing to happen in American politics, some chapters came across as near-hateful. That's not what helps solve this country's problems. I was also a bit disappointed in the editor and authors numerous efforts to distance themselves from their explanations, as if they too were fearful of repercussions. Not sure I would recommend this purchase.

This book is now central to the conversation all Americans are having: Is Trump a danger to us all?

Some might imagine that the issue of Trump's mental capacities have been settled by his score on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which he took as part of his recent physical (cf. future reviews by spittle-flecked Trumpians who haven't read the book). But do you think passing this test alone, which a first-grader could ace without much effort, makes him worthy of fondling his big red button in public and threatening nation after nation?

Exceptional volume:

1) Therapeutically, inasmuch as the work clarifies one's rage against Trump & Co. psychologically, viscerally/ontologically, etc.

2) Assists oneself, via extension, to grasp the devastation wrought by capitalism--intrapsychically, interpersonally, societally, and globally.

D.T.--"existing" in the "rarefied atmosphere" of capitalist idiocy--epitomises the falsity and contaminative depravity of capitalism, per se. Succinctly, D.T. is a "sick puppy"--diagnosably (as perspicuously and cogently delineated in the work) committable.

For those of you who think this book is unfair: as Richard Friedman, a professor of clinical psychiatry and director of psychopharmacology clinic at Weill Cornell Medical College, has argued in the Washington Post, we don’t need a test to judge Trump’s fitness for office: “The most accurate measure of a person’s fitness, whether mental or physical, is observable function in the real world — not the results of a fancy test or expert opinion. The fact is that Americans already have all the data they need to judge Trump’s fitness.”

3.5 really. The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump held no big surprises, but offered enough insightful analysis to keep me going. Comprised as it is of individual essays by a variety of mental health experts focusing on a single topic - the psychology of Donald Trump - it is predictably repetitive.  What I found most interesting were the analyses of how and why a population interacts with a narcissistic leader to create a toxic and dangerous society. Nearly every chapter reflected my own observations of Trump's character and of what's happening in our country right now under the influence of this "malignant narcissist." I applaud the contributors who defied the usual rules of their professions to speak out in warning. Reading this book was affirming and in no way reassuring.

Critics of this book say there should be no expert commentary on the behaviors of the MOST POWERFUL LEADER IN THE WORLD because it violates professional ethics, effectively blocking the truth by putting a gag on the experts who could help us understand. Should we turn to vague understandings of pop psychology to explain the unusual behavior of the POTUS? What is our alternative if the experts cannot speak?

That from the observation of other countries thisTrump is supported by many of your people. Call yourselves Christian but dont trust dont care assault lie cheat each other abuse etc. And find this acceptable so where are ethics and dignity. Elections are notthing more than a circus to find a dictator who promptly sets up his family talk about nepotism. Is there any hope it is like watching a horror show. 30 000 killed a year by guns suicides included and find that ok. Whats next? And you guys find the taliban nuts.

I agree whole-heartedly with the idea that those who aspire to be president of the USA should submit to a mental health examination (and even cognitive testing?) prior to being allowed to run for or take office!

This is not a very good book. One does not need a degree in psychology nor medicine (though I have one) to suspect that there is something seriously wrong with Trump. The book's fundamental problem relates to its attempt to do an end-run around the so called "Goldwater" agreement. Making psychiatric or psychological diagnoses 'at a distance' has been shunned by the APA (American Psychologic Association). The modus used by Dr. Lee and her fellow writers relates to the requirement a psychological and psychiatric professional has to warm authorities about behavior in their patients which could possibly result in harm to others. It is a long step between a patient and a television 'star,' for that is what Trump is, mainly. So the premise behind the book is false and it is inflated with non-professional observations, such as from the ghost writer of the book "The Art of the Deal." Finally, there appears to be an intent to resemble a peer-reviewed series of journal articles, presented as various chapters. However, it is not a peer-reviewed entity and thereby fails in its attempt.

If I correctly recall my medical school lectures in psychiatry, we students were told that to witness, for ourselves, the various case studies and abnormal mental states presented in our textbooks and lectures, we should look at the faculty and at our fellow students! It really does not take a prolonged education in neuroscience to be able to identify a whacko!

This book has many different mental health professionals explanation as to why Trump is a danger to our country’s welfare. Too many professionals are expressing the same concerns as we lay people are already witnessing or know. It becomes evident after chapter 1 that many of those expressing their opinions are doing so in a highly restrictive manner that is intended to prevent any backlash from their professional peers. Repetitive

PSYCHOLOGY IS NOT A SCIENCE. IF YOU ASSUME THAT THIS TRUE THEN TRUMP CAN BE GOOD CRAZY OR BAD CRAZY.
IN MY OPINION THE BEST WAY TO DETERMINE THIS IS TO HEAR EXPERT VIEWS FROM BOTH SIDES. NORM CHOMSKY MAKES A CASE FOR ONE VIEW. IT HARD TO FIND ANY OTHER VIEW FROM THE OVER THIRTY M.A, MD, PH.D LCPC PSY.D LMHC WHO WRITE IN THIS BOOK. ROSEMARY SWORD (NO DEGREES LISTED) GIVES AN EXCELLENT VOICE TO THE NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY. SHE LISTS 15 OR 16 SYMPTOMS WHICH DEFINE THE NP. BRANDY LEE BOOKS AUTHOR WRITES ...ANYONE AS MENTALLY UNSTABLE AS THIS MAN SHOULD NOT BE ENTRUSTED WITH LIFE AND DEATH POWERS OF OF THE PRESIDENCY DIRECT QUOTE SHE SAYS THAT EVERY CONTRIBUTOR TO THE BOOK AGREES.

I jumped at the chance to check this out from the local library. I was very interested to read what trained mental health professionals had to say about President Donald Trump. If it has ever crossed your mind that Trump's behavior is irrational or dangerous, if you have ever asked "what is going on here, something's not quite right," or if you think that what is now considered everyday news is, in fact, NOT normal at all, then you will find good company here. Not all of the professionals included have given him an armchair diagnosis (that is, a diagnosis without having actually met with him in person, talked with, and tested him in a clinical capacity), and many have flat-out stated that they would not or could not diagnose him just from watching his behavior in the media from the past several decades. They did offer insight into narcissistic personality disorder, which some speculated he has. I found most interesting of all the discussion of Trump's upbringing, which gave fascinating insight into how a person like Trump comes into being. I also thought the comparison with JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis and Cold War with the speculation of how Trump would have acted during a similar trial was interesting. For those who have decided to be loyal to President Trump through thick and thin, you likely will not like this book. For those who want professional opinions on President Trump's mental health, you won't be disappointed, although the book tends to be somewhat repetitive in places. All in all, though, I finished the book feeling that the next few years will be a tense political arena, and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only person who wonders what is going on with him. Trump's inner child needs a hug. I wonder if he would have been a different person if he had received more hugs and love and less bluster and intimidation in his childhood.

This book by 27 authors (mostly mental health professionals) addresses two topics - 1) should psychologists and psychiatrists comment publicly on the mental well-being of Donald Trump or be constrained by the so-called Goldwater rule (which prohibits diagnosing someone who you have not seen in a clinical setting) and 2) the authors' views on Trump's fitness for office (based not on clinical contact but on observation of his behavior).
The contributors have all concluded that Trump's behavior is alarming enough that they have a "duty to warn" the public about the harmful effects he may have. The book becomes rather repetitive because each contributor says pretty much the same thing, each in their own way, which includes their observations on his narcissistic personalty, difficulty separating truth from fiction, inappropriate behavior toward women, admiration for brutal dictators, blaming and lack of accountability, condoning violent behavior, signs of paranoia, incessant tweeting, and so on. The most interesting chapters for me were those that delved into the social psychology of the effect that Trump has not only on those who support him, but on the entire nation, The worst part was learning that Trump's behavior is unlikely to change unless he faces a crisis that is beyond the ability of his habitual coping mechanisms (which in my opinion is just as likely to go poorly as positively). If you've ever found yourself asking, "What's wrong with this guy?", you'll find many well informed answers here. An important book that should be widely read, even if it is necessarily somewhat repetitive.

I got this book from outside of the store. It's great book, consisting of 27 chapters, plus an epilogue by the great Noam Chomsky, saying in few words that the last word comes from the people. The book looks at Trump from various angles of expertise by 27 practicing mental health professionals, in a non-sentimental, objective way. It's very well researched & documented. It describes many really expert ideas in a fairly simply way, understandable by non-professionals, like myself. There are plenty of reference materials at the end of each chapter, so that any subject maybe followed in more detail. It's very well edited, gathering various threads together towards the final crescendo. There are inevitably some overlaps, which not only do not hinder, but help to recollect the ones you might not remember prisely at any given time. One very important detail, which could alleviate insomnia by the facts : the military commanders have been alerted by the facts & warned about the knee-jerk military attacks by Trump. I cross my fingers & hope they heed the warnings. Very highly recommended.

This book was a great idea, and a necessary one, but it was failed by its editors.

Instead of a tight collection of essays that focus on a specific premise and build to a conclusion, it is a loose mix of: intelligent and scholarly essays; pop psychology and pet theories being pushed by people whose primary association with the profession seems to be selling books on their pet theories, and anti-Trump screeds that could have been written by just about anyone.

A tighter editing job (which would mean reorganizing, rewriting and cutting many of the essays) would have defined the problem of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, described how this disorder manifests in people who are in positions of power, documented examples showing how Trump’s behavior meets the criteria of the disorder, shown parallels to previous famous dictators (most of whom manifested this particular disorder), discussed previous crisis moments in our nation’s past and how someone with the disorder would have likely reacted, and then finished with a call to action.

While the essays do many of these things, the quality essays are intermixed with essays that are immature, petulant, or irrelevant, and their ordering is inconsistent.

- One essay is titled "Trump's Daddy Issues" and delves into an analysis of why Trump may have become who he is because of his childhood (irrelevant, and likely to be seen as a character attack by his supporters, weakening any chance of swaying them).

- Another refers to the "Bromance" between Trump and Putin, and to Trump's "… Dream" (a two word phrase I cannot use in a review or the store won’t post it) of unlimited dictatorial power (immature; this sort of flippant slang and unnecessary vulgarity has no place in a book of this importance. Reading this essay was like having a vulgar Uncle show up at a wedding and start telling dirty jokes at the reception).

- A third essay is dedicated to talking about the PTSD (and that's Post TRUMP Stress Disorder, the angst some people are feeling at the election of Trump, especially if they are in one of the groups he maligned during the election (immigrants, women, etc). While I think many people reasonably do feel such angst, and it is surely an issue that should be dealt with empathetically on a personal level, people being upset that the other side lost is irrelevant from a 25th amendment standpoint.

-- Other essays stray too far from clinical analysis and into the realm of public policy arguments that transcend Trump’s mental health. Regardless of where you stand on the extent and importance of climate change, for example, if you say in your essay Trump is a danger to the world because he's a climate change denier, then you've just lumped him in with the very people whose support you need to remove him, and your essay may as well be just another left-vs-right political screed.

These problems combine to create a book that has no idea who its target audience is. People who already dislike Trump will probably enjoy it, but they don’t need convincing. Policymakers will be overwhelmed by the inclusion of irrelevant drivel, and Trump supporters will not get the message because the information telling them “this man is not who you think he is” is overwhelmed by what will seem to them to be personal attacks and partisan political whining.

I do want to congratulate Elizabeth Mika for a fantastic dissertation on the synergy between populist, narcissistic dictators and those who support them. Her essay alone was worth the price of the book.

This gets five stars not because the writing is so good but obviously the message is so important. the last summation places it in perspective and I felt very focused on what degree of likely hood that these experts may be right, and then looked at the risk and it became apparent that (were nearing an extinction event) the closing thoughts of this book point out survival may depend upon,..

"Perhaps the movements we have been witnessing, starting with the Women's March on the day after the inauguration, represent the force within humankind that resists annihilation and gropes toward health and survival."

now that might not seem all that special but if you read that last summation and the papers submitted by these mental health professionals (context is everything) you read this all together and yeah this is the scariest book I've ever read if I believe it and I do.

I’m very interested in psychology and in particular personality disorders after being in a relationship with a sufferer. When Trump came on the scene I was fascinated instantly as he exhibits the classic symptoms of NPD.This book is an intelligent examination of NPD as well as explains how it affects the people around the sufferer, in this case the public. There is no doubt in my mind that Trump has serious mental health issues and to all those who say it is unethical to comment on someone without examining them, well, there is an essay about that too. When a person with mental health issues has their finger on the nuke button then that persons health is everyone’s business. There is even an essay on how these people infect others thus gaining their support base. For anyone that voted for a Trump this will be uncomfortable reading. Another takeaway from this book is that we must never fall into the trap of normalising his behaviour.

Fascinating and frightening. The insight into the mind of one Donald Trump. Now the president of the United States. Confirmed much I had thought and presented it in clear and concise manner. Definitely recommended reading for anyone that finds themselves questioning their own sanity with some of the things that are going on with our President.

Having read this book and observed DTs actions before and after the election I feel that he has extreme sociopathy and ultra narcissism. He also doesnot care a fig about the institutions of this country, is very racist, and lacks any empathy for anybody. He has incredible needs to dominate. He is the pure double distilled venom that the GOP has been touting for years. To expect this political party to shield us from the damage he seeks to do., is extremely naiive. DT and his party are predators with an unlimited budget and Right Wing agenda. If you read Dark Money by Jean Mayers you will find many of the R W extreme characters she outed lurking in the Trump cabinet. Russia lurks in the background. As opposed to this we have a weak D party and the paper shield of the Constitution. Hopefully there are some patriots out there too. We are approaching a tipping point that could result in a Dictatorship with a fascist bent. I see many of the same personality traits and agenda in previous presidents like Bush 2. Pence and Ryan were the Koch Bros picks to further their agenda so would they be better ?
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This book is a compilation of papers presented at a 2017 conference at Yale, called for the purpose of examining the mental status of the 45th president. The contributors have superb credentials and their efforts demonstrate courage and professionalism. We are facing a crisis of corruption and incompetence in the current administration and much of it is due to the mental state of the occupant of the White House. The contributors make the case that such pathology threatens the institutions that protect our democracy, national security, and our way of life. As a mental health professional, I can say that the papers in this book mirror my own observations, not only of the president's mental instability, but the increased anxiety now expressed by mental health clients in vulnerable populations.

Excellently written, and I believe it is totally accurate which means this is a very depressing book, because this traitorous/anti-American madman has not been thrown out of office yet! Everyday, he calls our free press an enemy of the people, when he is the enemy of the state! The day this man without one single redeeming human quality leaves the WH should be declared and celebrated as a National Holiday!

A very scary book. It's well written, but I've found myself skimming parts as it can get a bit dry and repetitive.

What it's correctly stating is that there is no requirement to prove oneself to be mentally fit to assume the office of the world's most powerful person. That's terrifying when you consider the implications.

Whether Trump is truly crazy has not been established, and this book does not try to diagnose him remotely. What it does so is present a case that establishes that something is not right with the man, and that the psychiatric profession has a duty to warn, in the same way that they have a duty to warn if any other individual presents a risk to themselves or others. Given Trump is one hissy fit from starting World War III and wiping out 99% of life on planet earth, it's frankly terrifying that nothing has been done to assess his mental health.

Regardless of what your politics are it's impossible to argue that regular psychiatric evaluations of political leaders should be mandatory.

This is an extremely important book that everyone should read. Each psychiatrist or psychologist gives an insightful analysis of Trump's mind and why he cannot help being such a danger to our country. At the present time, Trump and his staff are looking for distractions to take pressure off of the Russia investigation. Apparently, they found a brief respite when the recent student massacre in Parkland, FL consumed media attention. Along that line, I quote from p. 75 of the hardcover edition of this book, a statement by Gail Sheehy, Ph.D., that expresses exactly what my own fear has been:
...from a year and a half of reporting on the president-elect, I can't help worrying how much closer the day of reckoning has to come on charges of collusion with Russia before he needs a war to provide the ultimate distraction?

It has a 5 star even though I await my copy. Even without analysis it's plain to the eye how often his many, many behaviors give away his mental health state. To miss or misunderstand his actions by his hardcore voters when they're so visible they need no explanation puzzles me. Having worked among mental health practitioners for several years I've witnessed and picked up the pieces of our mentally ill patients when traumatized during two specific events 9/11 and the Trump presidency. The effect on the severely depressed, and some of our more fragile patients to the 9/11 attack caused their anxiety level to reach crisis point leaving too many frightened, and didn't subside until it became media history. The other was the inauguration of Trump and almost daily appearances made by Trump (most recently his incendiary words stoking the flames on an already toxic crisis with N. Korea) now besets their anxiety level every single day and some ask "what will happen to me? You and I wonder and worry everyday but we see life in it's complexities but to the vunerable, like our children, they see everything in black and white there are no shades of grey..............will he or won't he, and to hear the words "am I going to die"? is just another burden they have begun to carry. It's a question we are all beginning to ponder. There is a nobility in those that carry this burden they try to do things right but they are helpless and need to be able to trust. They need a balanced leader with a modicum of compassion and a great deal of common sense it's the thread that binds us all.

I would agee with the premises presented based on my observations of our now POTUS and find them interesting. The book is repetitive in many chapters, changing perspectives about the same diagnoses. These theories are useful only as confirming widely held observations. As such they present no solutions to the dangerous times we find ourselves in. The book tells of the terrible and dangerous tornado rushing toward us but provides no realistic means of escape from its fury. It serves as only a warning.

Given all of the attention given to the more recent "Fire and Fury" book, it's surprising that this earlier book hasn't received more attention. If you read this book, you cannot come away from it without believing that Trump is not only unfit to be president but a serious threat to our country. The authors may have ignored the "Goldwater rule" regarding the admonition that mental health professionals avoid commenting on the mental state of a person they have not personally evaluated, but the authors make a compelling case for why they felt the need to speak out.

It's clear to most people, who don't have their head in the sand, that Donald Trump has personality issues that interfere with his ability to think and react normally. The book raises the question, is Donald Trump's personality so impaired that he is unfit for the Presidency, and is he a danger to our safety. Most of the doctors, who each write an essay in this collection, say yes he is unfit, and yes, he is a danger. Many people argue that doctors cannot diagnose a person they have never met. There is also the Goldwater Rule, which says it is unethical to diagnose a public figure one has never met. All of that is addressed in several ways by the various authors. For the most part, they avoid giving a diagnose, and instead discuss behaviors that make Trump a danger. For instance, you don't need to know why Trump is thin-skinned, vengeful, and an habitual liar; you just need to know he is to realize the danger. A couple of the doctors do offer interesting theories--which they stress are just theories. One interesting idea is that Trump is suffering from dementia, which is why he is surrounding himself with family to protect himself. Another doctor goes into Trump's difficult relationship with his father. There are a couple of essays that I found just skim-worthy. One was more about the author's feelings about Trump than actually about Trump. Another was about something called Trump syndrome, which was about people who are said to be suffering fears and apprehension because of Trump. There was one that was just too dry to read. But, for the most part, the essays are solid and interesting. The reader will also learn interesting facts about the Trumps. For instance, did you know that Fred Trump was Woody Guthrie's landlord, and Guthrie wrote two songs about how terrible he was. I wonder if Arlo has revived those songs. Okay, not important facts, but still interesting. Being real, you probably already have your opinion about whether or not you question Donald Trump's mental state, this book will just help you explore the idea more deeply.

I'm still waiting for my copy, but would like to comment on the ethical issue of refraining from diagnosing someone who has not been personally interviewed , aka the "Goldwater Rule." Back when Barry Goldwater ran for president he was called crazy, or mentally ill, by professional who simply disagreed with his ideas. He had no symptoms of a thinking disorder: irrationality, delusions, dementia, etc. The man was labeled by professionals purely on their disagreement with his positions. In the case of Donald Trump, however, professional opinions are being offered on the basis of a great deal of public observable behavior. He repeatedly lies (many of which are easily disproven, many of which contradict what he said days, hours or just minutes beforehand). His self-aggrandizement is stunning. His constant need for approval, His poverty of vocabulary, and on and on and on, are all right out there for everyone to see for themselves. Professional psychiatrists and psychologists are experts in recognizing these behavior patterns, and discussing them as possible diagnoses amounts to a public service for the puzzled and alarmed public. I'm of the opinion that a current MRI of his brain would be more valuable at this point than ten years of tax returns. It would help to know whether he has Alzheimer's along with his narcissism. There is clearly something very wrong with this man, and since he holds the power to start World War III, it is important that we know what it is before it's too late.

There’s hardly a page in this book that is not hair-raisingly frightening. The essay I found most disturbing was written by John D. Gartner, PH.D. “Malignant narcissism is a psychiatric disorder that makes you evil,” he writes. “What’s scary is that’s not even the worse of it.”
He quotes Eric Fromm: “…malignant narcissism is the most severe pathology. The root of the most vicious destructiveness and inhumanity.”
“… Trump’s former mentor, the notorious Roy Cohn, lawyer for gangsters and Joseph McCarthy, said that when it came to his (Trump’s) feelings for his fellow human beings, Trump ‘pisses ice water.’”
Finally, this quote from Henry J. Friedman, M.D.: “Trump’s need to destroy everything that Obama achieved derives from the paranoid character’s hatred of goodness in others whose achievements he cannot attain, understand, or tolerate.”
The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump is indeed a frightening book.

The articles vary in usefulness, but you'll find a few that you'll want to mail to Paul Ryan. For most of the authors, it isn't mental illness that makes Trump so dangerous, it's the behaviors that go with malignant narcissism. One author carefully describes John Kennedy's reaction to the "Cuban missile crisis", how he called together for advice a wide variety of knowledgeable people in government, the military and the sciences. The parallel to Trump's expected reaction to a crisis -- given his propensity for getting his opinions from Fox TV -- is obvious. Another author draws a parallel to Nixon's behavior in office. Read this book, and spread the information you glean.

I'm not completely finished yet but it is enlightening to the point of real fear. The narration is good and many points made about the totally "unfit for duty" president that was actually voted for by many misguided Americans.

Over 25 mental health experts render their opinion on Trump’s behavioral presentations sans esoterica or clinical pretense. Each chapter resonated well with my experiential impression of “ the Donald.” Definitely a book worth reading.

This is one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading. I wish more people would have put emotion aside and saw Donald Trump for who he really is. The man truly is dangerous to not only the US but to the world. Those of us who could see Donald Trump for who he is, a con man who just looks out for himself did not vote to inflict this horror on to our fellow citizens. I only hope this nation can heal and repair the damage that this horrible man has done.

It is common knowledge among informed people that Trump is mentally unstable and dangerous.

His supporters, unfortunately, don't read books, and if they did would just label this one "fake news" by the "Democrat Liberals".

I have only began reading the book however, it appears to be a well written, thoughtful consideration of visible traits and behaviors exhibited by Donald J. Trump through the years, which, given the health professionals conclusions, is most disturbing.

**Spoiler: this review is unabashedly biased.**

I have experienced this group of essays as an audiobook and have yet to hear the conclusions at the end. Nevertheless, I'll give 4 stars for an engaging and illuminating attempt to define our highest leader diagnostically. Horrors! The Goldwater Rule and all that . . .

There is and will continue to be blowback. It's the destiny of such controversial subjects. Reading these reviews (and resulting commentary) is interesting and enlightening, more so in that many reviewers appear to be credentialed and experienced. And yes, many reviews enter the stage biased for, or reactionary against, a perceived "political perspective" of this book. Regardless, "The Dangerous Case…" had to be written to force this conversation. One can nitpick as to how it did its job, but it was necessary.

Lee does a good job of selecting credible and articulate experts to discuss the rather obvious dysfunction of Mr. Trump (anyone who has "recovered" — if one ever does — from a similarly dysfunctional background should be able to see Trump coming a mile away). And obvious because too many citizens have seen that brokenness for anyone to reasonably challenge it as a mere "political agenda." At least we're past the "Emperor has no clothes" phase.

Case in point: several essayists cite having numerous patients with anxiety disorders which reflect the current political drama. These are not political trolls, but citizens living in fear and trauma because of what they see happening right now. And not all of those patients are anti-Trump. Our president has created a psychological virus which infiltrates not only our domestic culture, but that of the world.

That said, some of the better essays pointed out that Trump is but a reflection of a national psyche running amok. "If you build it, [he] will come." Few would argue that the mass media got Trump elected. Therefore, We The People must own our share of blame. Our national obsession with reality shows and and vulgar glamour like Trump's hotels help create the perfect atmosphere for this hothouse bloom. Not to mention the gradual deterioration of US educational standards. We need something more constructive than pointing fingers to fix this.

As a book, "Dangerous Case" dragged a bit toward the end because of observational repetitiveness. But the more experts who agree that there is a problem, the better. I don't find fault with that. There are good arguments for abandoning the Goldwater Rule when faced with a national crisis like this one. These experts were, for the most part, quite careful and professional in their scrutiny of the subject. And for the benefit of those who disagree vehemently with this mass "diagnosis in absentia," we welcome any book this scholarly that can present a rejoinder. Bring it on.

I would like to send this to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Ryan & several other GOP members in Congress for Christmas. If anyone would like to gift or donate their used book to me for this purpose, please message me. They've taken away my healthcare to give tax breaks to the Koch brothers & other billionaires or I'd buy more copies myself to do this. My current copy is already under the tree lovingly going to a trump loving family member, so I'm short the other two needed for McConnell & Ryan. Your generous donation will be apart of making America Great again (truly).

This book is well layed out that anyone, even w/out a medical degree or knowledge of mental disorders can understand. (Hence, why I want to gift it to McConnell & Ryan). It isn't complicated or too complex even for low energy, low IQ, minimal comprehension abilities, slow processing & memory retentive individuals. It really is for anyone who cares to listen to those whom have experience, knowledge & real life experience & an uncompromised medical background & degree in this area of medical expertise. Of course, none of this is really needed for the majority of Americans & global citizens at large whom already know there is something seriously wrong w/President Bone Spur's mind & subsequent behaviors. Ranging from abrasively erratic to full blown psychosis, with varying degrees of intermittent & explosive key identifying disease characteristics & hallmark signs of mental decline & deficit. Still, it is always good to back up one's commonsense evaluation & valid suspicions w/actual expert advice & textbook classification from real experts in this area of disease & mental health. The cases presented in this exceptional piece of literature by award winning, highly respected mental health professionals, w/decades of unparalleled experience are beyond cementing & convincing, albeit ever so frightfully sobering & alarming. With one's own eye witness accounts from hours upon hours of Mr.Trump on video, news broadcasts, addresses, conferences, interviews, tv appearances, social media accounts & the like; along with his own written words, it isn't difficult or even mildy hard to ascertain & come to the same conclusion these concise experts do. They however, are able & do a remarkable job of breaking down his personality traits, characteristics, behaviors & attitudes with actual evidence based medical literature to prove his disorders & explain it clearly. Whereas, the lay person might just say, "He's crazy." These experts actually break down their case for why he actually is; & then why we should care. They do so respectfully, without any personal bias or political agenda outside of due diligence for their oath as medical professionals & healers, just as any good physician & specialist would do. They all contribute with a clear intent of the greater good for our country & the world; and with respect for the very career & area of medicine they so chose & represent. It's an unbiased true medical account of Donald J. Trump's mind & personality. One that is in fact highly dangerous & volatile; & they lay out how so with ever so detailed & interesting key points & examples. It is an invaluable resource for anyone who truly wants to know the truth from not one expert, but nearly 30, about who & what Mr. Trump exactly is & how his character traits, personality disorders & mental health are nothing to shrug off, laugh at or chalk up to an old senile dementia ridden man baby. It is a thrilling read, one that will either provide clarity & answer some gut wrenching questions about his sanity & ability to do the most pressing demanding highest performing job in the land. You won't be able to deny the undeniable any longer. ...Well, unless of course you're suffering from your own mental affliction or subsequent mental block from reality.

The science of psychoanalysis always intrigued me. As the one non-medicine career-related member of my family, there were wonderful books of all sorts to read and learn from, especially my brother's pre-med prep in this arena. This was where I wished to delve into the minds of those who, through environment or otherwise, had become tangled up and needed straightening out, as their present personalities had manifested, I thought, but a career in music seemed a lot more damn fun.

I say, after reading the book, that my own diagnosis of our "dear leader" was correct: a sociopathic megalomaniac. A person so wholly without regard to anyone or anything as to be a danger to one's self and all who are "chained" to this person - sadly, my fellow Americans - that is we and our children. In my dissection of the excellent science laid out in the book, I find that none of these actual career professionals need to publicly call for any action, but to present evidentiary proof of parallel cases and summations whose outcome is inarguable. IMHO, the office of President of The United States requires a knowledge of the psyche of a person running for said office to be thoroughly examined before electability is determined - much like gun-control advocates would have you submit to before buying a handgun - let alone the codes to the greatest nuclear arsenal on earth.

I have been a Clinical Psychologist for over twenty years and expected that the writers would follow the professional standards of scientific objectivity and fairness in their book about President Trump. Unfortunately I did not find this to be the case instead I found that writers from the outset criticized President Trump without first putting forward the objective evidence or scientific rigour expected from mental health professionals for and against their judgements.

I found the book difficult to read because the writing projected emotional, preconceived ideas without providing any realistic justification to substantiate the conclusions that are stated with authority. The impression I gained was that the professionals set out disliking President Trump and proceeded to find the theories they considered to best support such a dislike and that would misleadingly suggest mental health problems. In so doing their case fails but what does not fail is the evidence they provide for their own unethical and unprofessional comments.

The perceived tone was one of arrogant expectation that because they are "professionals" they have the right to make these statements and the reader should accept without question what was being said. Unfortunately I did not find any seriously "professional" statements in what I read. Instead I was disappointed to find so many emotional, unprofessional and unethical comments. As Mental Health Professionals and particularly as Psychiatrists it is very easy to make statements that others will assume to be true and so it behoves professionals to be very clear on their motivation in claiming, unjustifiably on the basis of the evidence presented, that President Trump has a mental health problem.

As professionals we are trained to remain objective at all times and to seek the best for each person we are working with although in this case these professionals were making assumptions without even meeting with President Trump. Nevertheless they used psychiatric terminology and multiple diagnostic type labels in reference to the President. Obviously they have a right to criticize the President if they wish to do so but their criticism should be based on their personal dislike not confounded with professional psychiatric terminology.

I have no political affiliation but I do have a very strong sense of professional standards and responsibility. I believe these professionals have fallen short of their own professional standards. By engaging in unethical behaviour the writers of this book undermine their own credibility and undermine their standing as objective, ethical professionals.

The writers use the cloak of Psychiatry to assert their opinions rather than owning their own personal dislike of the President. This is a misuse of the power of mental health professionals in their attempt to mislead the American public into believing that the President has a mental health problem.

What is fascinating about this book is using the information to consider the cast of characters I have encountered in my career. It's opened my eyes to gain a better understanding of people - as well as our current president.

Learned and interesting, with great insight into the troubling signs of dementia and other illnesses. Great in simply *understanding* mental illness, with great examples of what that might look like ripped from the news that currently floods our TVs... weather you believe it or not, great tool to learn by example of what these disorders might look like in the general population.

HOLY cow. From the NPD to DSM, this book is a detailed story of the danger of Trump. Not just to Americans, but to the world. Reads like a Stephen King horror tale, or Mark Twain satire.
If only. HIGHLY recommended, and evidentiary as to why so many people have found themselves in therapist offices trying to keep it together in these most dangerous of days.

I really learned a lot, not only about President Trump but other people as well. I feel more prepared to hold the line on thoughts and actions associated with problematic thought-processes defined in this book. The editors did a fine job of grouping the specialties represented here. And they make a strong case for having Presidents meet mental-health standards as exist for the Generals he, or she leads. I hope the information established here, gets very broad exposure. Kudos!

"Be truthful, gentle and fearless.' -Ghandi This is what you, Dr. Bandy Lee, and all of the contributors have done. Thank you. It is a frightening read as it very much answers my question of whether Trump is indeed evil and seriously mentally ill. I have not yet finished the audio book, but wanted so often to re-read sections and take notes, that I came to this site to purchase the hard cover. Suspicious of the 15% one-star ratings, I went to that section and am glad I did. Your responses are calm and rational, even in the very face of "Trump-style" vehement name-calling and abuse from the "reviewers." You respond with kind and dignified objectivity. I am looking forward to finishing the book and then reading more from you and the authors. It is such a helpful piece of work and it gives me great hope that soon we are in for a magnificent change, it gives me hope for the future of our world.

Good psychological analysis of a very dangerous man. What's even scarier is the American population who voted for this creep. How could this monster have any appeal to anybody? I fear the demise of the United States under the influence of such a sick, sick man.

This book was very short and easy to read as well as understand. Still no one has done a thing to stop him. Who is going to end his job and after an extensive trial, jail him as well as members of his family and those he inappropriately pleased in jobs around his presidency.

This is a truly frightening book which is a must read for every intelligent person, if only that included our small tyrant narcissistic congressmen. I wish I was wealthy enough to buy one for every congressman. Unfortunately none would probably read it as they would see themselves for what they are.

I have a Masters Degree in Counseling and spent my career in counseling and social work. I have observed Mr. Trump from the time he announced his candidacy. I am retired so I hung on every word through the primaries and beyond. He scares me. For all of the reasons stated in the book. I borrowed the book from my local library through Library2Go.

This is a well written book for the layperson and beyond. It was written about a year into the Trump presidency and now, two years in, there are even more examples of his "dangerous case" that could easily be sited. Time will tell how Trump effects our democracy and history over the first and possibly second, term of his presidency and beyond.

The extreme positive and negative views about this book are reflective of the division Trump has created in our country. I am a retired mental health professional with decades of clinical experience. I commented to another reviewer that evaluations are most accurate when done across time and across settings, and when the assessor can talk to a close family member. Therefore, I don't have a problem with the authors taking decades of samples in business, personal and now political settings to offer a qualified (in terms of limitations) view of Trump. Non-clinical people have offered similar or often better explanations of his personality. What surprises me is that there is only the briefest mention of ADHD, which seems to, along with his severe narcissism, be a big part of Trump's problem. In my opinion these authors missed the boat and, although I am no fan of Trump, I heard a sometimes extreme drum beat that bothered me.

It is discouraging that most clinical professionals still know so little about ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) which does NOT usually improve with age. It is a serious life altering neurological and behavioral disorder that is listed in the DSM of Mental Disorders. But it is not thought of as a mental illness. ADHD can substantially impact executive function, memory, and the ability to focus for sustained periods or make well thought out decisions. The amygdala has to too much influence, leading to a reactive personality, poor impulse control and thoughts just falling out of the persons head without any of the usual censorship most of us make good use of. Many people with ADHD have a very high energy level. There is some thought that ADHD may be on a continuum with Bipolar Disorder given the overlap of symptoms. A former colleague (psychiatrist) and expert on this topic explained ADHD using the 1/3 rule, which I now subscribe to. The lowest third of people with ADHD have a fairly negative outcome in terms of life function and may even end up in prison. This is in large part because people do not or refuse to recognize this neurologically based disability. The middle third may do OK but tend to under-achieve. But up to one third of people--especially those of high intelligence, a support system and some good luck--become very successful people. Their risk-taking behavior has paid off for them. Bottom line, you don't need to be a mental health professional to know that President Trump is dangerous in his current role. I agree with this point.

Symptoms of ADHD were supposedly evident in his childhood, hence his being shipped off to military school. Trump the businessman could apparently lie, cheat, refuse to honor his financial and other commitments, go off on a tirade, and NEVER EVER admit he was wrong or make a sincere apology. ADHD, when combined with a sense of entitlement and a high level of narcissism, can create a very unstable and potentially dangerous person. Trump was also taught to be ruthless. I reject any suggestion from some authors that Trump is evil. It is simply that for him, as the book points out, everything is about him and he is the only person he truly cares about. People who are highly narcissistic can and do sometimes create their own reality. They simply reject facts they don't like. And with the empty vessel of Trump's personality, he needs constant assurance that he is the biggest and best at eveything. Other people (or countries) and the impact of his behavior on them are of no true concern for him.

Any person willing to know the truth realizes that Trump has consistently shown poor judgment, impulsiveness, child-like emotional reactions, attacks on those who dare disagree with him, very high levels of narcissism and a massive sense of entitlement. These are dangerous qualities for our President. I felt the authors had little to offer in terms of a balanced and digestiable evaluation, but maybe because of my knowledge base. They would have made better use of thier time examining the psycholgical processes of those who were willing to take leave of thier good sense and moral standards to get this man elected and who still support him no matter what he says and does.

This is a collection of analyses from trained professionals for the most part with chapters containing citations at the end. There are many reasons to be concerned about this president and this book covers just about all of them. Many of the individual contributors grapple with the Goldwater rule vs. their duty to warn, so I did not feel it was biased at all, but rather factual. I highly recommend it.

Trump was not my choice, but I have come to like him. I give this book, considering the genre, five stars. It is a howler. I couldn't stop laughing through many of the chapters as die-hard, lifelong Liberals wring their hands and as their prose palpably shakes with fear - what we now call Trump Derangement Syndrome, which all the collective authors fail to identify. The various psychological categories and dimensions are well explained to the lay person, myself included. The authors' extreme cognitive dissonance and confirmation bias is so overwhelming yet oblivious to the authors - which I found a source of great amusement. Every famous Twitter, remark by Trump is filtered into the analysis into a well constructed reality. The weakness of the book, a collection of liberals and shrinks, is a total lack of history or comparison. Yes, we are convinced that President Trump is an extreme personality, but what about other Presidents, many with extreme personalities. Andrew Jackson, Teddy Roosevelt? Lyndon Johnson? Candidates Bernie Sanders the lifelong Marxist and pathological liar Hillary Clinton?

It's simple: If you voted for Trump and still support him you are too stupid to understand this book and you will not like it. Save your money and buy another red ballcap with an idiot slogan on the front. It suits you perfectly.

Have not read the book I just seen it thought I would read the reviews and am impressed to not see anything negative about the positive reviews however, I will check again for the following defendants of trump and the attacking words they use ie. snowflake, libtard,.... nice to see people reading is all. I agree they cannot diagnoses completely but you can get an idea from observation.

I couldn’t be more disappointed with this book. I stupidly bought four copies the instant that it came out – one for me, and the other three to mail to Mike Pence, Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell, along with an impassioned letter encouraging them to begin the process of removal from office on the grounds that Trump is unfit for the Presidency. I had assumed that this book would make a clear and easily understood case for why this President’s mental condition presents an unusual danger to the country and world.

Unfortunately, the writing is extremely academic and begins by going deep into the weeds of different forms of thinking in the psychological community, various philosophies, etc. It is written like a college thesis paper, like a student trying to impress their teacher with how smart they are and throwing in as much psych lingo as possible.

Worse, the book brings in issues and events that are certain to alienate Republicans – non-belief in climate science as an example of toxic lack of acceptance of reality, or likening the mindset of those who tortured terror suspects to the mindset that allowed the Nazis to move forward. To be clear, I agree with what the authors were saying, but if their intent was to sway people who are not already 100% on board with their thinking, their book fell WAY short of the mark.

Ultimately, I came to the realization that, while the book may or may not interest me, I clearly wasted my money on the extra three copies. Yes, the book contains important nuggets of profoundly alarming information that confirms our worst fears, but it is buried amid so much superfluous theory, lingo and unintentionally divisive asides that it would fail to serve my goals were I to mail the extra copies to the three individuals with the most power to do something useful with the information.

This is a great book for mental health professionals, other academics, people with endless patience to wade through excessive text in order to read what they already believe, and pretentious individuals who want to sound smarter than everyone else at cocktail parties. However, if you’re hoping for a direct, clear, concise document to help you sway the perceptions of your right wing friends, keep looking.

I appreciate that this book is out but too much is spent on it's justification. A lot of it is rehash of history (sooo tired of Nixon) and of Trump's tweets.
There were two chapters that I found exceptional:

"Unbridled and Extreme Present Hedonism". Excellent explanation of the topic and describes Trump to a T.
"I Wrote the Art of the Deal with Donald Trump." Insights from someone who worked with him. It really illustrates his character patterns.
Other chapters just a lot of psychobabble to me. Jumped to conclusions...some pretty lame.

Got on Kindle because Out of Stock so many sources. Did not like Kindle as no Table of Contents as to Chapters. Hard to move around in.

Haven't read it yet, but there are so many other politicians, including Presidents that were just as dangerous as DJT and maybe even worse. Start reading your history and keep up to date with current events. I have found the more you read, even on the same subject, albeit different authors, reveals more than in other books.

I was expecting the 27 mental health professionals to be psychiatrists. They are varied.

There are no new insights into POTUS that you wouldn’t already know from Twitter, Facebook, and late night comedy.

A good deal of the book is spent explaining narcissism, malignant narcissism and psychopathy in general terms and as it applies to past and present presidents.

A comment on my review told me to return the audible version, which I did not know was an option. Minutes ago I succeeded in returning the my Audible version. I also relented a couple days ago and bought the Kindle version, which is much easier for the hard-of-hearing to follow, fewer extreme high and low vocal notes, I suppose. I'm now applying my review stars as I would for the Kindle version and the book's content. Overall, it's too important to be ignored by anyone.
Original Review Below
I regret the Audible purchase because of sound quality, mostly. Audible should have used a professional reader, not the authors. I removed it from my Kindle.
A robot reader would have been better (Brian the robot with an English accent is really good, for example.) This may be my last Audible purchase because I'm on a fixed income and can't throw money away. I should have bought the Kindle edition.
Darn!
I'm 70, have poor hearing and my eyes don't tear well, meaning I need to listen to books rather than read, hence Audible. The essays herein were read by their authors and their voices do not come across clearly like professional readers found on other Audible books. That makes a big difference. Yes, their words are discernable, but the effort to listen on my Kindle definitely decreases listening pleasure.
Content
I regret the one star and would have given more had I bought the Kindle version of the book, probably. Zimbardo's here and the archetypal explanations are very interesting. They alone would have lead to 4 or 5 stars, but much of the information found here already pervades the Internet in past writings. Plus, I listen to Pacifica Radio (KPFK in LA) and have heard these ideas or variations on them since Trump's arrival on the political scene. So some of the novelty is not here.
Audible Web Page Book Not Working
With all of this, the Dangerous Case of Donald Trump is the only book on my browser page that does not work. I'm using Windows 10 and Explorer.

The boilerplate caveat that this isn't a "diagnosis" notwithstanding, the "diagnosis" may certainly be correct, but it shows a severe lack of professional good judgment to write this, which undermines any advice or conclusions the authors may make. If you knew your therapist held extreme political viewpoints and hatreds would that undermine your trust in them? Of course it would. You'd consider them a potential quack.

All you need to do is see the pedigrees. Harvard, and other left leaning schools. Steeped in Frankfort school tactics and viewpoints. They're merely capitalizing on the current fashion to sell books, they're not interested in helping you deal with people like this.

I am not a doctor or a psychologist, but the title of the book drew me because I could not agree more - he's dangerous and insane. However, I purchased the audiobook and found the narration completely irritating, especially for the first three chapters or so, and I felt the book was written more like a compilation of doctoral theses (thesises?), which I was WADING through, instead of something the majority of people could immerse themselves in and relate to with ease. It was WAY more information than I was interested in as far as how theories came to be over the decades as far as diagnoses and histories. I wanted information directed to me, a "regular" citizen, not a doctor or a professor. Long story short, he's dangerous. He's crazy. I'll be looking for something more relate-able and not so dry.

It appears that most reviews of this book are weighted by whether or not one prefers Donald Trump as president. If the review is not weighted that way, then its reception certainly is. That being said, political disclaimers are in order. I myself am not a Trump supporter. I am conservative, a long time Republican, that held on to aspect of family values that suggests that character matters. I tend to believe that if a man will lie to his wife, he'll lie to me and for that reason, I did not rally around Trump. Having watched him in office, there are a few things he has done that I have liked, and things that i have not. I still feel that I am the guy at the bar trying to stand between two people just before the brawl breaks out. In other words, I get why people support Trump and I get why they don't. I am also willing to listen to both sides.

Aside from my politics, I am interested in mental health. My undergraduate degree is in Psychology and my current job works hand in hand with social work. I have written my own book about mental health. It is a subject I spend a lot of time with.

I am also a reviewer. I'm a "vine voice" though this was not a vine selection. I purchased a copy of this audio book through my audible subscription. I previously wrote a well balanced review of this book and someone managed to have it removed. How or why, I do not know. I know that the only comment that was left before the removal was something about how I did not understand the argument at hand. Well, let's try again.

The core of this book is a debate of ethical code of the APA. Keep in mind, many of the contributors are not psychiatrists, but since different mental health fields tend to mirror the APA ethical code, this book has simplified the debate to that particular organization. It is worth mentioning that not every contributor is a psychiatrist, because on more than one occasion, it is clear that the contributor has no regard for anything in the APA. There is one that casts doubt on the DSM, a diagnostic standard across mental health fields. In other words, contributors comes at this debate with an axe to grind. Many axes. Political, professional, and personal. It is important to know that. Sometimes it comes across as though this book represents a consensus of professionals acting under a set standard. It doesn't. In fact, this debate is not really a debate because the other side is not present.

Here is the ethical debate in a nutshell. Should the "Goldwater Rule" (the rule that prohibits psychiatrists from publicly diagnosing people they have not met) be overruled by the duty to warn? This is not without precedence. After all, if I go to a therapist and say "I'm going to start killing people" and then I show my therapist my list of targets and discuss my plans, the therapist must set aside confidentiality in the interest of public safety. Likewise, this book argues, that if reasonable mental health professionals see cause for alarm in a president, then the Goldwater rule should also be set aside. it is a worthwhile debate, but it leaves out a crucial factor. One reason for the Goldwater rule is that mental health is not that easy to diagnose without an examination. It is argued that these professionals have plenty of evidence in the form of speeches, public appearances, tweets, etc. to substitute for an examination. There is just one problem. Without an examination, everything must be taken at face value. To assume that any celebrity can be known by what is seen at face value is really something for teenage fandom rather than honest mental health practices.

Let me give you an example. Throughout the book, many contributors point to Trumps tweet about Obama having him wiretapped as evidence of delusion. But what if Trump simply stated this to feed the frenzy of his supporters? What if he was just condensing the wiretapping of Gen. Flynn in Trump Tower to 140 characters? The tweet may not have been presidential or it may have been superficial, but it may not have been delusional. Examination is still critical.

I wanted to hear the debate. I assumed that if 27 mental health professionals were going to publicly break the Goldwater rule, then the debate would be worth hearing. Sadly, it isn't. The book hits us right up front with Phillip Zimbardo. In case it has been a while since your Psych 1 class in college, he's the guy they pull out as an example of why ethical rules are necessary. I knew right then that there was no real debate in this book and it never came around to change my mind. The bottom line is that this book failed to really convince me that any of these professionals had a duty to warn that overruled the Goldwater rule.

I could have been convinced. For example, there was some talk about a decreased vocabulary as a symptom of dementia. Some evidence in that regard would have added weight to the duty to warn, but it never comes in this book. There is no rationale that if Trump is doing what we see him doing then he will do something terrible.

There is an unintended consequence and it is worth rating the book at 2 stars rather than 3. This is essentially a group of people that are upset that Trump has won the presidency. Their response is to weaponize mental health. Our society has taken great strides towards removing the stigma that accompanies the many, many people with mental illness and that is lost by a group of people yelling "Crazy!" because they don't agree with 60 million of their fellow countrymen.

So what is this book? A debate? It is missing the other side. An argument? It is unconvincing. Propaganda? Probably.

One major problem with psychoanalysis is the fact that none of its assertions can be scientifically verified. Worse, diagnostic criteria mutate over time, as do the very existence of the conditions under scrutiny: yesterday’s “deviant behavior” is today’s generally accepted "lifestyle". In “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump”, representatives of the neo-Freudian school analyze and box Donald J. Trump.

Whilst the impact of Freudian psychoanalysis on Western thinking is profound and simply beyond dispute, its basis has been repeatedly attacked and demolished (see, for example, the recent book by Frederick Crews, "Freud: The Making of an Illusion"). Nonetheless, a group of mental health practitioners who uniformly subscribe to psychoanalytic precepts indulge in at-a-distance diagnosis of President Donald J. Trump. Their findings are unsurprising. Under the jargon and balderdash lies a truth best stated by Philip Roth in his prescient book, "The Plot Against America" to wit, "Nor had I understood 'til then how the shameless vanity of utter fools can so strongly determine the fate of others." In addition to that his programmatic destructive approach amounts to unabashed nihilism.

The analysts’ pronouncements were based on decades of public records, all of which were and are available online. Aside from the section prepared by non-mental health professional and Trump ghostwriter Tony Schwartz, none of the experts interacted personally with The Prez. Rather, they've taken examples of Trumpian behavior extending back decades and (equally unsurprisingly) noted congruence with the ongoing barrage of stupid, impulsive, unrestrained, impolitic, inconsistent, intellectually lazy, insulting, polarizing (insert more epithets ad infinitum, ad nauseum) displays Trump has regaled us with up through the present date.

According to some experts' contributions, at least half of US presidents were "off", a bizarre clam in itself. If that's true, it's the norm: maybe being "off" is a qualification for the office. What's more relevant are these issues: 1) Regardless of Trump's mental health status, he's in office and he enjoys support from both his party and his "base" (around 40% of US voters) and, 2) US voters knew all the same information available to the analysts: they simply drew a different conclusion. So, Trump's psychiatric status isn't really the point at all but if it is, one can do no better than to quote the late Walt Kelly to the effect that, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

While the Neo-Freudian school enjoys abundant representation in this compendium, Behaviorist's (B.F. Skinner) contributions aren't represented at all. Skinner's idea (for which there is an actual, factual basis) is that behaviors are dependent on consequences of previous actions. If the consequences are bad, there is a high chance the action/behavior will not be repeated: if an action is rewarded, it will be encouraged. As for Trump, he has - by virtue of his social class and upbringing - always been indulged: if not, "You're fired!" as The Man himself is fond of noting. Why look beyond that? There actually is a reason: Trump's personality is now entrenched and, by virtue of the vast power he now enjoys, it is in full flower and dangerous.

Aside from the book's bias towards psychoanalysis, the political leanings of the contributors are obvious. Another flaw is the significant effort made by each contributor to self-justify. Specifically (and redundantly), the authors endeavor to demonstrate why the so-called "Goldwater Rule" (which appeared in the first edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Principles of Medical Ethics in 1973) must be eclipsed by the dangers created by the present president. Back then it was thought that, a "Vote for Barry (Goldwater) is a Vote for Fun" per Ken Kesey, but now a vote for Trump is a Vote for Ruin: hence the urgency for psychiatric judgement. Ever alert to emerging professional prerogatives, the esteemed Phil Zimbardo even goes so far as to propose a novel addition to the US political cannon: create a panel of mental health pros to assess and vet candidates for cognitive and psychiatric issues. Two contributors (Betty Teng and Jeffifer Contarino Panning) helpfully devise an entire new category of mental health crisis: "Trump Anxiety Disorder" (which purportedly effects "the mental health of half the nation and special populations"). The venerable Freudian avatar Oedipus even gets a reprieve ("Trump's Daddy Issues", by Steve Wruble, MD).

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson recently called Trump a “moron.” That's a simple, direct and accurate categorization. So, whether or not Donald is "daft" is entirely beside the point. He's simply not competent for elected office, especially as US president.

In other words, the pathology as elucidated in “Dangerous” is nice to know, but how does it help? The sub rosa text of the book is that by establishing that Trump suffers from mental illness invocation of the 25th amendment to remove him from office will be the logical next step: that won't happen given the composition of Congress. “New Yorker” contributor Masha Gessen recently wrote, "Knowing what we know about Trump and what psychiatrists know about aggression, impulse control, and predictive behavior, we are all in mortal danger. He is the man with his finger on the nuclear button. Contributors to 'The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump' ask whether this creates a 'duty to warn.' But the real question is, Should democracy allow a plurality of citizens to place the lives of an entire country in the hands of a madman? Crazy as this idea is, it’s not a question psychiatrists can answer."

As a psychologist, I am floored by this book. The American Psychiatric Association ethics code section 7 forbids psychiatrists from making a diagnosis or professional opinion of the mental state of a public figure, or anyone, they have not personally met with and evaluated. The American Psychological Association has similar concerns about such behavior. You. Cannot. Diagnose. Someone. You’ve. Never. Met. Just like an MD can’t diagnose cancer anecdotally, psychological professionals cannot do so without proper evaluation. It’s diminishing the hard work psychological scientists have put in place and increases stigma of mental illness. Almost 50% of people will have a mental illness at some point, this book paints mental illness as completely horrible and leaves the sufferer as a nonfunctioning member of society - which simply isn’t true in many cases. This is not okay. Period.

You have to be mentally ill to even purchase this book. All of you professional victims out there need to get over yourselves, and move on. Great book for you to read while you hide in your safe space.

It is widely regarded as unethical—a violation of the so-called Goldwater Rule—for mental health experts to offer a professional diagnosis of any person they have not personally examined. The rule was established in 1973 by the American Psychiatric Association and is still in force today. Although psychologists are not expressly forbidden from making public pronouncements about the mental health of public figures, the American Psychological Association has affirmed the rule and psychologists generally abide by it.

This rule is called the Goldwater rule for a reason. Then as now unethical mental health professionals have used their profession as a political weapon. It's a terrible development that should be unequivocally rejected.

Today, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) reiterates its continued and unwavering commitment to the ethical principle known as “The Goldwater Rule.” We at the APA call for an end to psychiatrists providing professional opinions in the media about public figures whom they have not examined, whether it be on cable news appearances, books, or in social media. Armchair psychiatry or the use of psychiatry as a political tool is the misuse of psychiatry and is unacceptable and unethical.

The ethical principle, in place since 1973, guides physician members of the APA to refrain from publicly issuing professional medical opinions about individuals that they have not personally evaluated in a professional setting or context. Doing otherwise undermines the credibility and integrity of the profession and the physician-patient relationship. Although APA’s ethical guidelines can only be enforced against APA members, we urge all psychiatrists, regardless of membership, to abide by this guidance in respect of our patients and our profession.

A proper psychiatric evaluation requires more than a review of television appearances, tweets, and public comments.

As a psychiatrist, forensic work required grueling interviews, extensive reading history from collaterals, formalized testing to validate any diagnosis, a rigorous physical exam often with neurologic testing. None of that is demonstrated here- if this was presented at a forensic hearing, the judge would not hesitate to reject the conclusion and possibly sanction the psychiatrist involved. There should be academic repercussions against persons involved.

In my opinion, this book violates the ethics principles of the American Psychiatric Association.

The Section 7, of APA’s Principles-Medical-Ethics says:
“On occasion psychiatrists are asked for an opinion about an individual who is in the light of public attention or who has disclosed information about himself/herself through public media. In such circumstances, a psychiatrist may share with the public his or her expertise about psychiatric issues in general. However, it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement”.

Each of these so-called professional authors should be requested to explain this apparent ethics principles violation.

The book starts off documenting the lack of ethics and the historical oppression that has come with using psychiatry to pathologize political opponents.

It then essentially then goes on to proclaim: "Welp, here we go anyway..."

1. Trained clinical professionals in legitimate clinical professions do not, as a hard rule, transcend either their scope of practice nor their ethics.

In this case, both are relevant to making comments about an individual who is not within their care.

The scope of practice and their adherence to ethics literally defines their expertise. In transcending both with these statements about a man who is not under their care, they absolutely render their opinions clinically void and their ability to practice questionable.

Simply, only quacks practice outside of their limits of skill as defined by their scope of practice and ethical limitations, as any doctor would tell you. Professionals do not exceed these limitations, primarily because these limitations define their competency.

2. Using psychiatry to throw an underhanded temper tantrum about losing an election should scare everyone, if for nothing but its strong echo of very recent state oppression in using psychological assessment to silence political opposition in communist countries.

The best interpretation of this book is to take its very existence as a dire warning in regard to our nation's current political direction.

3. The psychological field has always been on shaky ground. It isn't a science like medicine is. Its essentially a field that relies on ultimately unproveable models of the human personality. In short, no one actually knows how the brain works let alone the personality that derives from it.

Now, how the field operates from that base of ever shifting theory is to create models for their theoretical frameworks from which they can compare individuals and then either levy therapy (all of which except behavioral therapy have less scientific basis then do the models themselves - because remember, all of this is just fast changing theory) or diagnose further with a standardized test. Both roads require a patient to be in the care of the psychologist, because the information for diagnoses just isn't otherwise available. This is where scope of practice and ethics come into play.

With this in mind, along with psychology's unfortunately oppressive political history, the participant psychologists in this book are doing their profession a disservice that it really did not need due to the fact that the scientific and medical communities are already aware of the psychological profession's inherent operation in a scientific grey area. The profession needs to stay within the bounds of professionalism for its scientific community status to remain respectable.

The sole outcome of this book should be the American Psychological Association's review of the licenses of those who operate so flagrantly outside of their scope of practice, in order to field an attempt to protect the reputation of the profession.

Everyone else should be embarrassed for the Soviet like hissy fit, in using psychological licenses, to complain about an election that was lost due to what they perceive to be language that their normal manipulative tactics had trouble countering because they require that language be kept constrained to work.

I am a psychologist and it is a clear violation of the ethics code to make a diagnosis or any clinical judgment based on someone you haven't met AND to do so publicly. One would have to consent to be evaluated first. This book is pure malpractice and the idea that any legitimate healthcare professional would put his or her name on it is deplorable.

Far left therapists mask their hate with "scholarship." Dr. Lee thinks she is a guardian of "special knowledge" that somehow it is her inherent duty to impose her superior intellect on the millions of people who support and voted for donald trump, as if they don't know what they are thinking.

Take a look at radical hate filled therapists like Dr. Jeffrey Guterman, who got a thrill up his leg over the trump tower burning. These so-called "therapists" are incapable of helping people who don't vote like them through mental health issues. I cannot imagine any conservative, non-progressive sitting in Bandy's office paying her money for her false-therapy. Bandy and radical left wing therapists like her will gladly take money from conservative clients, while deep down they are utterly hostile towards their views. This is a terrible therapy environment. Like the Red Hen, Bandy is the kind of therapist who strikes me as "all are welcome in my clinic, unless you voted for trump." So much for lowering stigma Bandy. Your hate filled views are simply raising it.

Despite the title, this isn't really a medical book. Its a bunch of people cashing in on Trump. 27 medical professionals got together and wrote a series of disjoint essays vaguely about Trump, packaged it up into a book and will probably make a whole lot of money for themselves. One of the main authors themselves admits right at the start that "the main point of this book is not about Mr. Trump" (p. 19). This is followed by the rather breathtaking claim that American Society as a whole is mentally ill by reason of Trump's election and that will be the subject of the book. And in spite of the book being presented as a book by medical professionals, the epilogue is co-written by Noam Chomsky.

There are maybe eight essays directly on Trump's mental health. The rest of the book is about relaxing medical ethics and the supposed impact that Trump is having on the mental health of the country. Many of the voices in this book want to roll back patient protections as well as shift the burden of proof to the accused in mental health settings. They are in fact calling for dramatic changes in the name of the supposed "Trump Crisis" that will roll back professional standards in mental health to what they were in the 1950s.

You can tell alot about a polemic by how fast and how often it plays the Hitler card. The Hitler card is played an average on one of every 19 pages. As far as the first to drop it, .Robert Jay Lifton drops it in the Foreword. He explains how Americans are just like the Nazi Doctors in the death camps. That to accept Trump as President is just like working in a death camp. After making the point, without explanation, he immediately says he is not making the point he just made. He then goes on to develop a concept he calls the "witnessing professional activist". What it effectively means is that the highest standard of professional ethics should be a *political* standard rather than a technical standard. Its badly written and argued, but it effectively sets the stage for the book. This is about mental health or a diagnosis or any technical medical issue. This is just a bunch of professionals using their credentials to politically vent. And if you don't agree with them.....well you are in their opinion no different than a nazi collaborator.

In the prologue, three of the authors attempt to explain their views of professional ethics. They invent a new standard for ethics where obligations to a patient (or individual) should always be weighted against an equal set of obligations "to society". They go so far as to say that even doctor-professional confidentially is something that should be weighed against what a professional owes to society. Their thinking is thin and anti-intellectual that they don't bother to think through the broader implications of that. Extended beyond Trump, the idea that professionals first duty is to the community rather than the individual is an astonishing thing to assert.

They also describe a concept called an "assessing diagnosis". Its not actually new in this case. Its a throwback to how involuntary commitment was done before the 1970s. Its based on the idea that a doctor knows "crazy" when they see it and that its better to err on the side of taking immediate action to preserve "public safety" than to waste time trying to prove that someone is dangerous. Again, they don't look at the general implications of the standards they are setting. If they talk about anything at all to justify themselves, its death camps, GITMO, torture or the CIA. Softball examples to gloss over the impact of pushing the ethnics of their profession back to the bad old days of the 1950s.

As well, the assert that the test for the ethics should be based on the end pursued. Basically if they are working for the government, the highest possible standard of ethics should apply. But if they are "resisting" the state, basically anything goes. .

In part (1) of the book, nine sets of authors offer nine completely different diagnosis of Trump's mental health issues. One of Trump's ghostwriters with a degree in American Studies is invited to provide a diagnosis which says alot about how the serious the book is. The problem with the section is that the claims by the various professionals are are all over the map. The lack of any common conclusions through diagnosis points to the problem of employing these methods: That there is effectively no method and no professionalism in the evaluation.

The second part of the book consists of six sections that attempt to make the case the remote professional mental health diagnosis of public figures is justified by a duty to the community that overrides any ethical obligation to a patient or client. Some raise a standard of "dangerousness". But (again) there is no thought given to the broader implications of what they are suggesting. They are essentially suggesting that the importance of a person in society (police officers, politicians, pilots, firefighters) should increase the ability of random mental health professionals to intervene in their lives. And what of the claim that obligation to patient and community are equal? Again, as is in so much of the book, the content is non-intellectual and simply focused on establishing a reason to justify actions toward Trump.

The final part of the book is a series of poorly written pieces that reach out from Trump to the whole of society. Thus we get something on the birther movement, we get a claim that the whole country is an "abusive" relationship with Trump, we get claims that Trump as president is getting in the way of people's "healing" and creating mental illness.

We end with a crackpot *legal* interpretation of the 25th amendment by doctors.

The weakness of the book is that its very much on the defensive and that there is no professional consensus offered on Trump. It demands to make sweeping and dangerous changes to professional ethics based entirely on one man becoming president. Trump will last only a few years as President. But making professional obligations to the community equal to those of the client would be something we would be stuck with forever. If the profession accepts the concept of "assessing diagnosis" applied to Trump, what is to stop that concept from being extended to the homeless and the poor? I really don't think the authors care. I don't see anything in the book other than a set of people taking an opportunity to make a fast buck off Trump being president. Its so badly argued and so badly written that it will hurt rather than help their cause.

I don't think analysis of a person's personality can be done. Many great people in history have been called crazy, or some form of crazy. It is not valid that this can be done. Worse, it is damaging and dangerous to attempt to do so. What is being done to Donald Trump is criminal. No person in history has been so maligned in print, on the airwaves, or in any way that can be thought of. I would feel the same about anyone, no matter who it was. Like any President elected, his success is our success. If we do not pull together, this nation will fall.

It is impossible to top the review of this book by Carl Cannon who 'suggested that a better name for the book would be: "27 Angry Democrats With Advanced Degrees Who Voted Against Trump and Say He's Crazy Although They've Never Met Him."

Political abuse of psychiatry is the misuse of psychiatry, including diagnosis, detention, and treatment, for the purposes of obstructing the human rights of individuals and/or groups in a society. ... Psychiatry possesses a built-in capacity for abuse that is greater than in other areas of medicine.

Following the tradition of Hitler, Stalin, Khrushchev, Mao and Brezhnev “27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts” including Noam Chomsky, who is as much of a psychiatrist as I am an Emperor of China, published a political pamphlet “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President (by Bandy X. Lee, Robert Jay Lifton, Gail Sheehy, William J. Doherty, Noam Chomsky, et al). It is exactly the same type of abuse of psychiatry as was condemned by the Section 7, of the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) Principles of Medical Ethics says:
“On occasion psychiatrists are asked for an opinion about an individual who is in the light of public attention or who has disclosed information about himself/herself through public media. In such circumstances, a psychiatrist may share with the public his or her expertise about psychiatric issues in general. However, it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement”. Known as the “Goldwater principle” it is fully shared by the American Psychological Association.

Fanatics of the Left see no end in their crusade to trash, defame and remove President Trump from office. Bandy Lee apparently can evaluate someone she’s never met and conclude that Trump is mentally unstable, with the potential of turning violent, even though he’s never demonstrated any of such symptoms.

In gross violation of APA’s Principles of Medical Ethics Anti-Trump political activists masquerading as “scientists” can just “diagnose” someone based on prepared speeches, tweets and TV appearances. During the Nazi era and the Soviet rule political enemies were labeled as "mentally ill" and subjected to inhumane "treatments". In the period from the 1960s up to 1986, abuse of psychiatry for political purposes was reported to be systematic in the Soviet Union, and even internationally renown Nobel laureates like Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov were all declared paranoiacs and schizophrenics. The practice of incarceration and torture of political adversaries in psychiatric hospitals in Eastern Europe, PRC, and the USSR damaged the credibility of psychiatry as a science in these states and internationally. Political abuse of psychiatry taking place in the US today should be condemned. Otherwise all of us can discover ourselves restrained in psychiatric wards.

Diagnosis “in absentia”. The fame of the chief KGB psychiatrist Snezhnevsky who gave the diagnosis of sluggish schizophrenia to numerous “enemies of the people” in absentia including Nobel laureates Andrei Sakharov, Joseph Brodsky and concluded that they were worthless, is an envy to Bandy X. Lee, Robert Jay Lifton, Gail Sheehy, William J. Doherty, Noam Chomsky and other 22 American “psychiatrists” who never met or examined Trump.

Well what is one to say, when one disagrees with what is largely written in this book by those with supposed highly acclaimed degrees and awards? First, I would start by stating that both psychology and psychiatry, are currently not exact sciences and largely statistical based- as admitted by their own practitioners! One only must quickly look a DSM-V to ascertain this for one's self. This in fact is odd as in this book of 360-pages by my count, and could have missed one or two- the American Psychiatric Association- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th edition is only cited 4-Times. Furthermore, I could not find where DSMV-5’s criteria of diagnosis, in any essay contained here-in- were in fact exactly quoted, expounded upon/explained- so that a lay-person, or an "educated society" not privy to "special information" could clearly see by the APA's own standards, where these multiple diagnoses were in fact clearly validated across the spectrum of essay's. Furthermore, I could not find any mention of qualitative vs. quantitative analysis (that is a huge debate/issue/problem in academic circles, etc...) that in fact plagues many areas such as US Intelligence gathering, high-level decision making, etc... On this note, I did not see any mention of all the tools of state craft- deception, espionage, filibustering, grandstanding, brinkmanship, high-stakes bargaining, just to name a few, etc... mentioned anywhere in this work- or are these not part of the real world and even to some degree US Politics- were character assignation, and not issues seem to be more paramount! (Perhaps Sun-Tzu, Bismarck, Disraeli, Clausewitz, Hobbs, and even the US founding fathers, etc.…. got it all wrong?) Also, I found it odd, a lot of the authors have common links to Harvard, Yale, UCLA (California), Illinois (Chicago) and even have strong ties to Hollywood, and that money/influence- which to a large degree has come out as Anti-Trump! (Others can do the network/pattern analysis on this, themselves if so inclined!) Are not a lot of these institutions, the bed rock of the US political elite, or in other words the establishment/ "deep state" that is anti-Trump to begin with? Furthermore, several authors in this book have written on President Trump's political rivals and some are even from Russia and Eastern Europe- is that not currently a problem be-lingering the Trump Administration? I think one must simply ask, is this a non-biased work or is it? That I will leave to other readers to ascertain for themselves?!? For a counter-perspective I would simply recommend one read "The Paradigm" by Jonathan Cahn as a comparison to what other political rivals of President Trump supposedly engaged in while in the most hallowed corridors of power- one will in fact be amazed! So why did they not receive such scrutiny? Finally, General Patton believed in reincarnation, Winston Churchill was supposedly bi-polar, other US Presidents have been known to self-medicate with alcohol, and numerous other positive world leaders have supposedly had Mental Health disorders, but in the end left the world a better place! So why is it President Trump is receiving more criticism and negative analysis than any other US elected official in recent memory? If the authors are true in their intentions, then why not extend this type of analysis to all members of congress and Senior Members of the Federal Government of any political party or persuasion? Or is it their intention that anyone running for President/Congress should first undergo a through mental health exam by multiple practitioners prior to running and potentially being elected to Congress or the Presidency or appointed head of any Federal Agency? Questions I leave other's more qualified to ponder?

Bottom-line: This work came across nothing but a lot of "Group-Think!" What is next not only for President Trump, but any US elected official, or common citizen for that matter, as in recent issue of “Psychology Today” dated FEB 2018 in an article by Matthew Hutson “All Over Your Face” pages 78-86- facial recognition and micro-expressions by computers are being utilized all over world to diagnose mental disorders as well as unwanted traits-among numerous other things??????

Also thought I would add: Why I No Longer Write Elected Officials-

Quite a few folks have asked, recently, why I no longer write US Elected Officials about the US Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), etc… So, here is my personal explanation/observations:

I have dealt with VA etc… now for 10(+) years and nothing tangible has in fact changed despite writing just about everyone humanly possible, countless times! The only way I have really achieved anything is in fact through attorneys at considerable cost and time and effort…. very sadly….

As I have been told by numerous attorney’s, Senators and Congressmen cannot, by themselves direct any Federal Agency, what to do! They can only suggest/inquire! A law, must in fact be passed by Congress to get a Federal Agency to do anything- and is a law going to be passed for any one individual? Odds are not, and getting any bill through congress is a nightmare in and of itself- with all the competing interests of the parties involved, constituents, businesses etc…

Also, there are supposedly Congressional “Liaison’s” at these Federal Agencies- I have seen them myself at VA-in action- and they simply bought the VA’s “Party Line” and affected no change what so ever… I do not know if these Liaisons are part of a different branch of government or work for individual Senators and Congressmen, and/or are full- time job- if so they too are part of what is termed as “Deep State”- which I will address next….

Since our elected officials cannot direct a Federal Agency what to do, these agencies, such as the VA, simply pay tacit compliance, and then resume business as usual…. this is because there is little to no follow up by Congressional staff, liaisons, etc… as Congressional staff, individually, are not equipped/manned for this…..

Then there are all the rules and laws for terminating federal employees… (one only must look to author Stweart Liff to see this!) which are well above and beyond ridiculous- one only must look to former head Gulf Coast VA, and other senior VA leadership around country that have been in news-papers/media for various wrong-doings to clearly see this…. So they remain ultimately in place and empowered to influence a whole host of thing via “networks” they have either created or become part of….

Gulf Coast VA/VISN-17 is a simple microcosm of this in totality… as over the last decade numerous folks from Washington DC VA HQ have been down here to supposedly “FIX” things and simply everything remains largely as it was since my entry in this heinous system since over 10-years ago…

Thus, part of the overall “Deep State” - life-long senior Federal employees- have been able to exploit a “seam” in the “system,” that is our Federal Government, without impunity for an exceedingly long time!!!! Also, if retired or simply fired… they can in fact become even more influential as “Grey Beards,” so to speak, through the networks and contacts they just left- as are no longer largely bound/constrained by the rules and regulations they were employed under! Also, as they become members of extra-former-employment networks or new networks, thereby further linking networks and systems!

Therefore, nothing really changes, - nor probably- ever will- as this system is most likely well beyond any level of reigning in by those in power, unless “laws” are radically changed…. But that as we all know is a very lengthy, time-consuming process and Senator’s and Congressman must be re-elected- which is two years for Congressmen- so with that turn-over in Congress what “collective working memory” is there to “prosecute” any lasting change in this system……???????

Then you have “special interest- “in case of the VA a whole host of $BIG Dollar$ interests like big Pharma, medical equipment, office suppliers, etc.… to name a few (the list is actually endless)! This is not to mention the VA is the Second Largest Federal Employer behind DOD. So, if simply Congress or anyone wanted to change this system radically, it would be worse than the US military’s BRAC- as endless argument would ensue about what was or was not going to remain in whose “District” or “State”- HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC!!!!!!!!!

I, very painfully, got a VA OIG Investigation initiated (still never heard if closed out or not), and a person from one of the Vet Service Organizations told me they were trying to “crack” the Gulf Coast VA System for a long time to no-avail- which brings up a bigger question….

Why of all the numerous VA System’s- are only a handful- supposedly darn good, and others simply beyond atrocious like the Gulf Coast VA System - which is 1-Star System now- and should have never been the Five Star System it was to begin with… able to obviously withstand this type of, dare I say, “INFILTRATION?????, by the “Deep State?”

That is for others to ponder and beyond me to figure out…. But the “Deep State” is in fact alive and well, one only must look as far as the Gulf Coast VA/VISN-16 to get a glimpse of it at work…… and a huge seam in our beloved Democracy Exploited….as every system has its weak-spot’s… just a people do….

GEN/President Eisenhower, allegedly, feared the “military/Industrial complex” as, and he would have personally known, is it is exactly what helped bring Nazi Germany to power… so if “life-long” VA “Deep-State” employees have in fact been compromised by “special-interest” or other interest’s does this not in fact compound the issues to Infinity “∞” in the VA alone for example???????? What if they transfer to another Federal Agency- which they can do???

There is also another issue at work- “education”- Thomas Jefferson supposedly stated the best defense against any tyranny is an “highly-educated” populace… sadly most regular VA employees are not this, in my experience… and there is no system of “IQ/Job Competency Testing” etc. in place before they are in fact hired (as I have asked numerous folks about this) further compounding the VA’s numerous issue’s… or is it simply by design?????? Questions for others to ponder…but from extensive personal experience, any employee I have known at the VA to ask hard questions or “buck” the system (so to speak) has paid dearly for it, personally and professionally…….
Finally, myself and other veterans I know, have been cautioned by VA employees, themselves, from writing Senators and Congressmen or even hiring attorney’s- now why would this be? Do they know something other’s simply do not??????

For good example of what veterans face-due to all of this- one only has to read pots/threads on pebforum.com, if one is so inclined!!!!

Thanks…..

Do you really believe this many people would buy a book written by "experts" who have never met nor examined someone? This is the kind of crap writing you get when you mix political agendas and George Soros funding.

This and the other current books on President Trump are the LAST STRAW by the Dark World Government puppets that want complete control of our government and to take all your freedoms and rights away. Trump is the first president in a long time that is completely Independent and that scares the daylights out of them. His maverick personality is on purpose to throw them off their game and it makes them mad!

Read it for entertainment. But it's all propaganda. They are even buying their own books to make it look good. It's a joke.

HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT...Don't waste your money on this book...nothing more than a dime store collective of pseudo psycho analysists...anyone could make anyone look crazy if they followed the same tactics used in this book.

I finally broke down and purchased Lee’s The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, because Barnes and Nobel had it at 50% off. Apparently, they are trying to get rid of it. And I freely confess that I began the book with a hostile outlook because I had not liked the unethical accusations, flying left and right, of Trump being mentally ill that I had read.

I was deeply, deeply disappointed. I had expected to sink my teeth into something substantial that I could analyze and critique. But, as I said, I was disappointed. The book doesn’t even rise to the level of malpractice---it’s just crap. There is A LOT of insinuation. There is also a lot of bringing up Hitler and Nazis (something leftists always do whenever discussing political opponents). And the last two thirds of the book is just filler.

I’ll go chapter by chapter, according to the author (there are supposed to be 27 psychiatrists and psychologists, but that’s not quite true.

The book has a Foreword, a Prologue and an Introduction.
In the Foreword, Lifton brings up Nazis and promotes “professional activism” based on “professional responsibility”
In the Prologue, Herman and Lee write about the Goldwater rule.
In the Introduction, Lee makes the case of a Duty to Warn. One could argue there is a bit of narcissism here.

Zimbardo & Sword start by complaining that Trump was not a career politician and that he has no interest in philanthropy (false). They accused Trump of being an “unbridled present hedonist,” (a diagnosis new to me and not found in the DSM), as showing paranoia and racism. Sword practices Time Perspective Therapy (whatever that is) and Hawaiian psychology, called ho’oponopono, based on her Hawaiian heritage (she is blonde, blue eyed, just like Sen. Elizabeth Warren who claims to be Native American).

Malkin spends most of the time in his chapter badmouthing Richard Nixon, whom he calls a “paranoid tyrant,” a president that leftists hate almost as much as Trump. But he does bring up trump to say that he is losing his grip on reality, is psychotic and paranoid.

Schwartz was the co-author of The Art of the Deal. He doesn’t like Trump.

Sheehy is neither a psychologist nor a psychiatrist. She is a writer. She claims that Trump’s policy regarding NATO and NAFTA indicates pathology. She also brings up sadism as well as Richard Nixon.

Dodes claims that Trump is a sociopath, with paranoia, and is losing his grasp on reality.

Gartner says Trump has antisocial personality disorder, paranoia and sadism. Gartner quotes from Erich Fromm, the Communist psychiatrist. Gartner is generous in saying that Trump is not schizophrenic but he is hypomaniac. Those who voted for him are racist.

Tansey says Trump is delusional and compares him to admirable (to him) presidents like Carter and Kennedy. He claims that Trump has “admiration” for dictators for stating facts, like saying Kim Jong-un was successful in consolidating power, that Saddam Hussein was efficient at eliminating terrorists, Putin has strong control over Russia, and Bashar al-Assad was able to survive. All true.

Reiss has a novel diagnoses for Trump: dementia.

Herb is a lawyer. He shifts back and forth in attributing narcissistic personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder for President Trump.

The remaining Parts 2 & 3 are just filler.
Part 2
Glass (who resigned from the APA over the Goldwater rule) writes on whether psychiatrists should comment on public figures.

Friedman writes on whether psychiatrists should comment on public figures.

Gilligan writes that he does not like Trump.

Jhueck writes in general about human rights abuses, that Trump is “unhinged,” about Nixon, and whether Trump will start nuclear war.

Covitz claims that Trump has “severe character pathology,” but he just cannot decide on what diagnosis to give him.

Part 3
Teng writes about the snowflakes that became a nervous wreck when Trump got elected (the reader may remember seeing them screaming to the skies for long duration). She brings up a new diagnosis for those people: Trump Derangement Syndrome. It’s Trump’s fault for winning the election.

Panning spends the chapter simply badmouthing Trump. Nothing of substance (even less than the above).

Wruble’s chapter is entitled “Trump’s Daddy Issues,” then spends over half the chapter openly writing about his own daddy issues.

Singer writes nothing of any importance or substance.

Mika writes about psychopaths, tyrants, narcissists, and of course Hitler.

Fisher writes about how wonderful was Kennedy, then about psychopathology and cites quotes about Trump’s from hostile political commentators.

Gartrell & Mosbacher complain about Trump “provoking” North Korea and say nothing bad about the dictatorship there but claims that Trump admires dictators, and then brings up what has become a fetish with some, the 25th Amendment.

Lastly, Chomsky (a linguist and an anti-American leftist) and Lee (the editor) close the book with a chapter full of empty verbosity and general badmouthing of Trump.

The people who have given this book five stars have not even read it, they just have a pathological blind hatred for Trump and are willing to believe anything that they are told about him as long as it is insulting.

But I will quote from the American Psychiatric Association:

“A proper psychiatric evaluation requires more than a review of television appearances, tweets, and public comments. Psychiatrists are medical doctors; evaluating mental illness is no less thorough than diagnosing diabetes or heart disease. The standards in our profession require review of medical and psychiatric history and records and a complete examination of mental status. Often collateral information from family members or individuals who know the person well is included, with permission from the patient."

“Using psychiatry for political or self-aggrandizing purposes is stigmatizing for our patients and negatively impacts our profession.”

In short, it has called for the end of malpractice and quackery. I'm old enough to remember when Goldwater was called mentally unstable, paranoid, and schizophrenic by leftist psychiatrists because he had the audacity to openly state that Communism was evil. Back then, saying that was to state a Politically Incorrect truth.

This is a clear violation of the Goldwater Rule, masquerading as a dire warning to the American people. This is nothing more than conpletely uninformed politicized opinion attempting to be a diagnosis without being a diagnosis.

I am a Professional Engineer who is called upon from time to time to conduct forensic investigations on structural failures. It would be unprofessional and unethical for me to report on an issue without first conducting a detailed hands on inspection. That being said, I am surprised that these medical professionals thought it appropriate to report on a subject without first examining him.

This book is an absolute joke. None of these people even interviewed Trump. According to them Lincoln and JFK wold be unstable too. Please look up Dr. Drew interview one of these people. Trump will still be President after 2020 .

In my Medical School class, all the eccentric students went into Psychiatry. Some fairly normal people did also, but ALL the peculiar and unconventional students seemed to gravitate towards a Psych residency.

Well, this book is clear evidence that backs up my experience. Psychiatrists are often more mentally ill than their patients. Less ethical also, apparently. The APA and the AMA should both condemn this book and the authors. Also, their respective State Boards of Medical Examiners should investigate for possible violations of Medical Practice Act ethical standards. License suspensions and/or revocations should be seriously considered.

I read this thinking that it would be fair,,,what a joke, it is yet another cheap shot at the president with left wing bias. Who in their right mind would take advice from psychiatrists since they know nothing about psychology ( I am a psychiatrist, we just use meds). I would recommend this book if you work for any left leaning organization and you need a coffee table book to broadcast your political slant. What is really scary is that Hilary clinton is the most profound psychopath that I can recall in history including Hitler, Mao or Stalin.

As a licensed mental health professional, this book is a joke. Trump is bombastic for sure and talks out loud before he thinks, but at least he's up front about his beliefs or in the attempt to discover what they are whereas other Presidents are secretive about the unethical, deviant and unconstitutional acts they perform, such as the last President. This is just a political ploy to continue the neo-Marist tactics of the progressives all easily understood in Alinsky's text.

Many Psychiatrists have come forward, and told or time and time again you can not look at a person and say yes or nay.
A person must have a Psychological Evaluation in order to determine whether or not a person has a problem. This is the truth and I cannot see any sign from him nor, can I see any reason that would make me suspect that he would need the kind of testing that you are suggesting he needs.
However I see several problems with you, (1) you have, not yet grown out of the age of throwing temper. tantrums because you are no longer invited to the White House any more. Maybe someday after you have grown up you might be, I would not hold my breath however.
This one disturbs me the most, just exactly who are you working for, and what country are you really from,I am not the only one asking this question it is being thrown about in other places.

More dangerous propaganda from the far left. It is highly unethical for a professional to diagnose anyone they haven’t examined. Our president knows how to spreak to the common man. That skill has been lost by most clinical and political entities. It’s not that the common man doesn’t see Mr Trumps faults as these authors arrogantly believe. We see them and also see how he is able to easily converse with world leaders as well as laborers. It’s a great relief to have a president who surrounds himself with very strong women, who is not a bought and paid for politician, who speaks directly to the citizens through social media, who is not politically correct, who shuns political rhetoric, who shows compassion to those hurt by a political system that doesn’t protect them, who protects our constitutional rights, who is working hard to expel murdering gang members, enforce immigration laws and greatly improve the economy without being excessively careless with classified information. The man has faults that make him human unlike these specialist authors who hide behind letters after their names and clinical jargon. I wonder if they listened to the state of the union speech or even to any of his excellent campaign speeches. I am a mental health specialist also and am glad our president has a big ego or he wouldn’t be able to survive the many attacks from all sides that he experiences every day. The authors are taking a look at isolated things that bother them and not at the whole gestalt which indicates a lot of improvements in the short time that Mr Trump has been president.

When conservatives said that Obama was a pathological narcissist, the left was up in arms. After all, no reputable psychologist or psychiatrist would ever attempt to diagnose someone that was not their patient. To do otherwise was irresponsible and just shy of medical malpractice.

Yet here, the left feels full justified in finding 27 individuals who are willing to take money to say Trump is unhinged, even though they've never met him, much less treated him. Once again, the left's "I'm right and you're wrong" mindset in action. Gotta love a group who believe in free speech - just so long as you say exactly the same thing they do.

"[T]hese mental-health professionals run afoul of the American Psychiatric Association’s Goldwater Rule, which deems it unethical to offer a professional opinion on a public figure without conducting a personal examination and without authorization to release the conclusions."

If the psychiatrists can accurately evaluate a person's mental state by reading the newspapers or watching T.V., what is the value in having an in-person interview. I believed their efforts have devalued their profession.

I have not read this book, nor do I care to. I am only writing this review to point out that it is unethical for psychiatrists and psychologists to diagnose people without interacting with them personally.

It is also unethical for psychiatrists and psychologists to publicize their diagnoses.

It would seem that the mental health profession no longer deserves to be taken seriously given that such an ethical lapse is not being punished through the revocation of licenses and other such sanctions.

Trump is a danger to America and it's people? Just because he is undermining the agenda of the left-wing? Sorry leftists, but what you believe and what is good for the USA and its people are not the same thing. This book is only for those who wish to withdraw into a world in which the leftist narrative can provide them with a sense of comfort in the face of reality.

Before the election, NPR published a story about the American Psychiatric Association, which "cautioned psychiatrists against taking part in a feverish new national hobby," titled "Psychiatrists Reminded To Refrain From Armchair Analysis Of Public Figures" (August 13, 2016). How many of these shrinks actually met Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton in person to talk to for any length of time? This book may be a fun read, but it essentially consists of politically motivated, unethical, and unprofessional armchair diagnoses.

I read the sample offered and declined to purchase the remaining book (although if it was on Kindle unlimited or Prime I would have reviewed the remaining portion for free).

The reason I chose to not finish was because the book (so far as the three out of 27 essays presented in the sample portion were not at all themed to the title---the book is not about Donald Trump, President. Thus far the book appears to be a promotional lobbyist piece for the American Psychiatric Association, and a the debasement of the American Psychological Association. As a licensed therapist, I wanted to hear my colleagues professional opinion on Trump's psych profile, not listen to a cheer about why the APA rules and the other APA drools. Boo.

HYSTERICAL! Donald Trump is a man. A human being. Someone who has good and bad just like every other human in the world. When did our society become so infantile and fearful of anything and everything?? Wake up, grow up, and move on. The sky actually is NOT falling!!

The only thing a lucid American patriot might find more deliciously digestible than the "Beleaguered Man" look and utter mouth gape found on Rachel "MSNBC" Maddow in the wee hours of November 9th 2016.........MIGHT JUST be this also ran one year later October 3, 2017 epilogue of "The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump".....a political snipe hunt piece of left wing quack-quack-dom currently referred to in most psychoanalytical circles as:

"Hey...Look Down Here....it's Noam Chomski and the one homely Asian Psychiatrist rightly NOT named Randy on the planet....and we're all here to provide a free diagnosis for YOU"......any and all of our diagnosis, analysis and forecast before November 9th 2016 notwithstanding.

What possible credence could be given to this psychiatric bunch that was not already completely used up by CNN on election eve?

It is ridiculous that anyone can believe what is written by those who have never personally interacted with Trump, therefore basing their opinions on on highly inaccurate "news" and other equally biased sources. The fact that people actually pay money to read such drivel is just another indication of how completely brainwashed the general public is...they can't tell fact from fiction... Someone needs to write a book on "The Brainwashing of America"..

This book is written by supposed mental health professionals who diagnose a man whom they have never examined in person, a requirement to any medical diagnosis. At best its an under researched ill thought out book at worst its medical malpractice.

What an embarrassment!

Let me make one thing clear, I am a leftie and I hate Trump, so my problem is not ideological. Rather it is this self-serving, self-important group of people feel that they have something special to say (lets say that Keith Olbermann doesn't), and that by not speaking they in particular will bear the wrath of history. Talk about narcissism. Somehow Trump is this unique individual that came from nowhere. Not a word about all the other Republican insanity, Mitch and Paul and Palin and DeVos and on and on. Not but lip service to the toxic environment that spawned this movement from 27 people who are all making at least six figures. Listening to whine after whine, I amlost got a moment of respect for Trump the bully, how he knows how to push their buttons. Trump is going down, but only because he will be found politically toxic, not due to this bunch. A waste of time and money.

This book is the best the lefts and liberals can do, cry and cry. What i have learn from real Psychologist like Jung is that The dangerous ideas of these psychologist is how well they project their dark side. From a conservative point of view this book is a great reference on how twisted the mind of the teachers on Colleges campuses in America are. God bless America. #MAGA

No professional worth his license would diagnose somebody they had never been in the same room with. This book is speculation. But it's what people want to believe, so it should do well among the people who hate our President.

Diagnosing from afar without consent is at best, a breach of the code of ethics. Therefore, one can only conclude that this group of "professionals " has allowed personal bias to influence the collective diagnoses. Hopefully, their respective boards will consider admonishing them for this breach.

This book is dangerous and false. The author fails to substantiate her claims. I personally wanted to know just how dangerous this president is, and this book fails to deliver. The writing style was also incredibly boring.

How can you take this book seriously. It is suppose to be written by 27 "professionals" You cannot make real diagnosis with out a true assessment of an individual with out actually getting the patient's history doing an actual exam, psychological evaluation. A doctor or mental health provider should talk to you about your symptoms, thoughts, feelings and behavior patterns. Usually a questionnaire is involved in the inital assessment. This book looks to be a pile of garbage and just another hit piece, with out valid Assessment of a patient or subject !!

This book must be very good for democrats liberals. It also contain names of people that without hesitation out cheap labels in the President - I imagine because they are cheap people, no? What else?

More FAKE NEWS...Most is irrelevant BS because the same commentary would apply to the lies and deceit and corruption of most previous politicians and Presidents, especially the Clintons, Obama, Bush, et. al. What about the Clinton's criminal life (books written about it too)? What about Obama pretending to be a Christian when he practiced as a Muslim in secrecy? What about the Bushs’ role with the Saudis in 9/11? It's so corrupt, few can bring themselves to believe or even accept it. I applaud the reckless courage of Trump in exposing the DEEP STATE and setting his sights on DRAINING THE SWAMP which is the one characteristic of Washington politics I’m convinced of...

This is a 25 page coloring book with 25 quotes (lies) from Donald Trump. It is not a book at all and certainly develops no "case" based on evidence that Donald Trump is dangerous. They make it appear to be a book, but it is more like a comic book.

A quick quiz.

President Donald J. Trump is...

a) A flawed but decent man who is facing tremendous opposition (as well as being the target of the world's most ridiculous witch hunt), and has signed on to do so for free - a first in Presidential history I believe

b) Controversial and worth critiquing but also an excuse for his critics to avoid examining themselves and their own issues honestly (Hollywood and the media come to mind).

c) Literally Hitler and a threat to civilization.

If you picked c), you will enjoy this book, at least in the sense that you will receive validation that your worldview is backed up by experts with degrees (which I lack), plus your hatred of and anger at the President is fully justified. If you find the unrelenting hate and hysteria directed at the President and his supporters to be far scarier than anything Trump could say or do, you won't.

During the election, I saw ample articles analyzing the President from a psychological (and pop psych) viewpoint. Many were written by people with degrees who presumably knew what they were talking about. While some mental health experts heeded the Goldwater rule, there were plenty who did not and who published their views which were readily available for any non-expert who cared to seek them out. But if you skipped such articles, various theories about Trump are gathered here in one handy volume.

Right now there are a lot of people (including mental health experts) using Trump as a justification for breaking long term rules of their profession or for engaging in antisocial behavior. While they may have what they consider rock sound reasons, attacking Trump for violating social norms just makes them look like hypocrites. Attacking a person for the sin of having no remorse or empathy rings hollow when you don't display any yourself. You don't have to be an "expert" in mental health issues to realize that this isn't healthy - for anyone.

It's tempting to use what's allegedly scientific evidence to support your unfavorable opinions of those you loathe, but it's not always wise. What looks like complete objectivity in the present may turn out to be laughably wrong in the future. Remember all those "scientific" polls that insisted that Donald Trump had no chance of winning? Or the "experts" who swore that Trump would not take office even if he did win because he was conning everyone? If I had a dollar for every time a critic has solemnly intoned that "this" time Trump is finished, I'd be considerably richer.

Personality traits like obstinacy and a healthy ego are crucial if you are trying to achieve certain goals on a long-range scale, and this is true both of individuals who've made positive changes in society, as well as negative ones. People pleasers seldom make history. Only time will tell in the President's case. So many predictions about Trump have turned out to be wrong already, perhaps waiting awhile before making others would be smart.