Trump showing signs of 'malignant narcissism': Psychologists

Mental health professionals are warning that US President Donald Trump is showing "classic signs" of mental illness, including “malignant narcissism.”

For decades, psychologists and psychiatrists have kept silent about their diagnostic opinions of public figures in accordance with ethical rules set out by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

However, psychologists have begun questioning Trump’s state of mind because of the type of temperament and behavior he has displayed during his public appearances.

Most recently, John D. Gartner, a practicing psychotherapist who taught psychiatric residents at Johns Hopkins University Medical School, said Trump “is dangerously mentally ill and temperamentally incapable of being president,” according to The Independent.

Gartner believes Trump shows signs of “malignant narcissism,” which is defined as a combination of narcissism, antisocial personality disorder, aggression and sadism.

Other psychologists agree with Gartner’s diagnostic view of Trump.

“Narcissism impairs his ability to see reality so you can't use logic to persuade someone like that,” clinical psychologist Dr. Julie Futrell told NY Daily News.

“Three million women marching? It doesn’t move him! Advisers point out that a policy choice did not work? He won’t care,” she said.

Mental health experts have even created a group, called Citizen Therapists Against Trumpism, which has published a manifesto on Trump.

“As psychotherapists practicing in the United States, we are alarmed by the rise of the ideology of Trumpism, which we see as a threat to the well-being of the people we care for and to American democracy itself,” the group wrote in their manifesto.

“We cannot remain silent as we witness the rise of an American form of fascism. We can leverage this time of crisis to deepen our commitment to American democracy.”

The professionals claim Trump is displaying warning signs such as scapegoating and banishing those who are seen as threats; degrading, ridiculing, and demeaning rivals and critics; as well as fostering a cult of “the strong man” who appeals to fear and anger.

They also criticize the president for showing little concern for truth and feeling no need for rational persuasion.

During the 2016 presidential race, his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, famously claimed that Trump was "temperamentally unfit" for the job.

Trump has come under immense criticism at home and aboard over a number of his policy initiatives, including his most recent executive order closing the nation’s doors to people from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

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