Psychoanalyzing the candidates

Listen 00:48:46

Guests: Nassir Ghaemi, Dan McAdams

Psychiatrists and psychologists, and the public at large, have been weighing in on Donald Trump’s mental health and his personality.  Some claim he suffers from narcissistic personality disorder, others have even suggested that he has sociopathic tendencies.  But is it ethical to psychoanalyze a public figure from a distance?  The American Psychiatric Association says “no” and recently warned mental health professionals against publicly diagnosing someone without a formal examination.  Marty and guests NASSIR GHAEMI, professor of psychiatry and director of the Mood Disorders Program at Tufts Medical Center, DAN MCADAMS, professor of psychology at Northwestern University, and PAUL APPELBAUM, professor of psychiatry, medicine and law at Columbia University discuss the ethics of evaluating the mental state of public figures.  We’ll also talk about the mental fitness of past presidents and how it affected their leadership.

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