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A review by chicagoliz
The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump: 27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President by Bandy X. Lee
3.0
I give this a high three stars. This book is a compilation of 27 papers that were presented at a conference regarding Donald Trump, and since they are all generally about the same topic, it is inevitable that they would be somewhat repetitive. I felt through most of the book that I was reading things I've read and heard before, countless times, although I did often find that I'd hear that night's news and nod my head, thinking, "Yep - that's what I just read about." So there were some tidbits of great insight and some of the papers were a terrific synthesis of what is going on and expressed some of my thoughts and concerns.
I do believe, and this is echoed throughout the book, that it is less important what specific psychiatric diagnoses Trump may have. Virtually all thinking people agree that he is a narcissist. Numerous other co-morbid diagnoses exist, and each one that was discussed fit and had substantial supporting evidence. But really, the primary concern is Trump's behavior itself, rather than whatever specific diagnosis might fit best. And that behavior has been easily observed by even the most casual Trump-watcher. Even more than the dangerousness of Trump, is the fact that we as a society have essentially caused this to happen. I understand our country is suffering from an epidemic of depression, but evidently, we are also suffering from an epidemic of narcissism, as it is posited that Trump finds such rabid support because fellow narcissists embrace him. Personally, what I find most disturbing is that we have 1/3 of the country that embraces Trump's dangerous nature, and actively cheers him on. We have another 1/3 who simply don't care enough about this danger, and even though some may find some of Trump's behavior alarming and disturbing, they aren't motivated enough to do anything to contain the danger. So, we have, at best, only 1/3 of the nation who is actively alarmed, concerned, and at least willing to act. Unfortunately, we seem impotent. The news media constantly reports on daily atrocities and the danger becomes clearer and clearer, yet nothing concrete seems to happen. I do hope that this third of the country is able to save us before it is too late.
In short, this is a useful book to have on hand, and something that might be consulted occasionally in assessing the behavior of Trump. It is probably best read one paper at a time, over a longer time period, perhaps interspersed with other books. I borrowed this one from the library, so I read it all at once, and that exacerbated the repetitive nature of the book. It does make for informative reading, but again, I still often felt that I'd already heard most of it already.
I do believe, and this is echoed throughout the book, that it is less important what specific psychiatric diagnoses Trump may have. Virtually all thinking people agree that he is a narcissist. Numerous other co-morbid diagnoses exist, and each one that was discussed fit and had substantial supporting evidence. But really, the primary concern is Trump's behavior itself, rather than whatever specific diagnosis might fit best. And that behavior has been easily observed by even the most casual Trump-watcher. Even more than the dangerousness of Trump, is the fact that we as a society have essentially caused this to happen. I understand our country is suffering from an epidemic of depression, but evidently, we are also suffering from an epidemic of narcissism, as it is posited that Trump finds such rabid support because fellow narcissists embrace him. Personally, what I find most disturbing is that we have 1/3 of the country that embraces Trump's dangerous nature, and actively cheers him on. We have another 1/3 who simply don't care enough about this danger, and even though some may find some of Trump's behavior alarming and disturbing, they aren't motivated enough to do anything to contain the danger. So, we have, at best, only 1/3 of the nation who is actively alarmed, concerned, and at least willing to act. Unfortunately, we seem impotent. The news media constantly reports on daily atrocities and the danger becomes clearer and clearer, yet nothing concrete seems to happen. I do hope that this third of the country is able to save us before it is too late.
In short, this is a useful book to have on hand, and something that might be consulted occasionally in assessing the behavior of Trump. It is probably best read one paper at a time, over a longer time period, perhaps interspersed with other books. I borrowed this one from the library, so I read it all at once, and that exacerbated the repetitive nature of the book. It does make for informative reading, but again, I still often felt that I'd already heard most of it already.