Dear Mister President,
You could make it a little easier here. Life is difficult enough for a person living with a mental disorder. You're not helping.
Let me say first that I'm not in a position to diagnose you, though there are others who are venturing a guess. I've heard of one prominent mental health professional who is convinced you are suffering from "Malignant Narcissism". I had to check that out. Psychology Today had an article which described it as:
"Fromm called such people 'malignant narcissists,' people out of touch with reality, who exhibit more and more extreme behaviors as the pressures of living up to their delusion of perfection mount, and as they inevitably become exposed to scrutiny and criticism. All too often, enraged by challenges to their fantasy of omnipotence, they lead their followers on to acts of violence, against others or even against themselves. In cults, we have the examples of this horrific violence in the Manson Family, Heaven’s Gate, Jim Jones, and many, many others. When it comes to political leaders, the history of the 20th century, the extreme nationalistic narcissism that proclaims the exclusive validity of one nation and the right to deny life and freedom to members of another; the mass murders perpetrated by its dictators—this horrific, tragic history is still being written, and still being perpetrated."
Let me say first, that I would suppose that a certain degree of narcissism is probably an occupational hazard of being President. In order to even function in that job, there has got to be a bit of "He-man" in one's psyche, "I have the power!" I sense that in you over the last few weeks.
What concerns me, based on my own experience of a person with a mental illness, is that there is a fine line between living with a manageable disorder, and slipping into behaviors that are simply bat ass crazy. From what I've seen and heard from you and your supporters I'm particularly concerned about what Fromm describes as "nationalistic narcissism". You see, it begins with a statement like "America First. Only America First." That sounds eerily similar to "Deutchland Uber Alles". When its reported that at one point you said, "we have nukes, why can't we use them?", these concerns skyrocket. (Maybe that's not an accurate report, but that people jumped all over it shows their concern.)
My own experience is that a mentally ill person cannot, while in a active state, have any sense of their own health. We live in a world of an altered reality. Our perceptions appear to us as being valid, while the rest of the world seems crazy. Usually this persists until a point at which we become so dysfunctional that we can no longer defend ourselves and resist the interventions that our loved ones attempt. I once saw a sign in a psychiatrist's office that said "Your assertion that you are sane and the rest the world is crazy may be true, but at least they are functioning."
Personally, were I President, I think that a psychiatrist would have a prominent place in my medical team. (In my manic moods, I actually think about being president. And in a manic phase I am capable of some incredible, really incredible things. The irony is that if I allowed myself to be treated for my mania, I probably wouldn't be able to do all the things I would envision doing if I were President.)
What I find curious, and concerning, is that there are many professions, my own included, that require a full psychological evaluation as a condition of serving. All you have to be is a United State's citizen that is 35 years old. I understand that there are some provisions in our governing documents that allow for the removal of a president if their health, physical or mental, prevents them from functioning. But things have to get pretty bad for that to happen. Some of us wonder if President Reagan was already in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease while he was still president. And how bad would it have to have been for someone to declare him unable to continue serving.
What am I getting at?
I believe that anyone who is President ought to, for the sake of the country, submit themselves to thorough psychiatric evaluations, along with their medical checkups, and be constantly monitoring their emotional and psychological health. When I returned to ministry, after a period of being on disability, I made that commitment.
What would make life easier for all people living with mental illness this: That there might be examples, role models if you will, of people who are committed not only to treating known mental health conditions, but doing everything to insure and maintain a healthy psychological state. I think of all the publicity that living "heart healthy" gets, e.g., many restaurants even mark 'heart healthy' options on their menus, and I wonder why don't we have the same emphasis for mental health.
As far as being the President goes, my concern is this. The pressures of being the leader of the "free world" are such that it could drive even the most sane person into a state of being bat ass crazy. One need only study the history of the world to find many examples of this.
Our country has its checks and balances that are supposed to keep us safe from individuals that are out of control. But they have been compromised. It used to be that congress had to authorize military intervention with a declaration of war. Now, a President can easily get us thoroughly involved in military actions without prior authorization from anyone. The risks are high.
It would be a great comfort to the nation and the world to know, that the President's mental health was a high priority to maintain as a matter of national security.
This is not a partisan issue. Though I am personally a liberal Democrat, I can and have accepted the leadership from moderate and conservative Republicans. I live in Idaho, after all. My desire is not that a President be Democrat or Republican, but that the whole country can be assured that they are well cared for so that they are always functioning from a state of mental health and stability.
I hope that you will commit yourself to this task, and take care of your own health and stability.
