I suffer from mental illness.
I do not appreciate it when people take serious mental disorders and use them as insults against anyone, Donald Trump included. Apparently, I am not alone. Listen, I am not defending Trump or trying to say that he would be a good president. I agree that he is erratic and seems to lack the temperament to govern effectively.
However, I refuse to level accusations of mental illness at him as I am neither a trained mental health practitioner nor have I spent anytime with the man.
I won’t even use my own history and experience as credentials to justify the charge of mental illness at Trump, even though I have seen some diaries using their experience with loved ones to credential such attacks. My experience with loved ones shows that they do not fully grasp the realities of the disease I live with every day despite their own legitimate experience.
Chris Reeves posted Let's Change The Way We Talk About Mental Health Issues here in March. It is worth a read as it says what I want to say rather more eloquently than I can.
“Those of us who deal with the mental health system understand that the current system is suffering because of a lack of real funding — but it is also suffering because the public really doesn’t understand how to talk to, and about, issues of mental health.”
A simple google search shows that the topic of mental illness has popped up on this site a lot lately. It frankly disgusts me that so many liberals feel that it is okay to use mental illness as a cudgel.
Flag away if you think that posting this link amounts to a “Call Out”.
I don’t care that the target this time around is a Republican. I don’t care that the target this time around poses serious threats to our government.
I don’t care that the people who are “analyzing” Trump are doing so because they see him as dangerous and want to defeat him in November.
Iamjiffylush posted Donald Trump would be a bad President because he is mentally ill? here in June. It is also worth a read as it addressed my topic eloquently from a diagnosed person’s perspective.
“Here’s the thing - 20% of American’s, including myself, are mentally ill. Yet the vast majority of us aren’t racist, misogynistic, xenophobic or bullies, just like the rest of the population.”
In summation
Unless you are Donald Trump’s psychiatrist, please do not claim that he suffers from any mental illness.
This is a simple request from someone who is tired of seeing a very serious issue trivialized. Fortunately, I am not triggered by all the armchair psychoanalysis. Others may not be so lucky.
There are plenty of legitimate criticisms. Use one of them instead. Please. Some examples:
- Unqualified because of a lack of experience.
- Unqualified because of his record with employees and contractors.
- Unqualified because he has chosen a VP with a record of anti-woman legislation.
- Unqualified because he refuses to surround himself with people who understand issues.
- Unqualified because he doesn’t seem to understand the basic tenets of diplomacy.
- Unqualified because his plans would balloon deficits while gutting government programs.
- Unqualified because of threats to purge anyone who disagrees with him from government.
Try these instead.
Please.