I’m not hearing the word ‘schizophrenia’ in the media. The media are full of descriptions of Trump’s ‘cognitive decline’. I think this term misses the mark. He is not just slowing down in his mental processes; he is actually insane, psychotic. In fact, his schizophrenia is becoming more and more pronounced and serious. That’s quite different from senility.
The Mayo Clinic includes these identifying marks of schizophrenia.
People with schizophrenia can seem to lose touch with reality,
- Delusions. This is when people believe in things that aren’t real or true. For example, people with schizophrenia could think that they’re being harmed or harassed when they aren’t. They could think that they’re the target for certain gestures or comments when they aren’t. They may think they’re very famous or have great ability when that’s not the case. Or they could feel that a major disaster is about to occur when that’s not true. Most people with schizophrenia have delusions.
- Disorganized speech and thinking. Disorganized speech causes disorganized thinking. It can be hard for people with schizophrenia to talk with other people. The answers people with schizophrenia give to questions may not be related to what’s being asked. Or questions may not be answered fully. Rarely, speech may include putting together unrelated words in a way that can’t be understood. Sometimes this is called word salad.
- Negative symptoms. People with schizophrenia may not be able to function in the way they could before their illness started. For example, they may not bathe, make eye contact or show emotions. They may speak in a monotone voice and not be able to feel pleasure.
Psychiatry.org has similar descriptors:
- Delusions are fixed false beliefs held despite clear or reasonable evidence that they are not true. Persecutory (or paranoid) delusions, when a person believes they are being harmed or harassed by another person or group, are the most common.
- Disorganized thinking and speech refer to thoughts and speech that are jumbled or do not make sense. For example, the person may switch from one topic to another or respond with an unrelated topic in conversation. The symptoms are severe enough to cause substantial problems with normal communication.
I don’t need to go into detail about how these symptoms apply perfectly to Trump’s behavior. Take his recent letter to the Prime Minister of Norway. That was not cognitive decline; it was delusional. He mixed up Norway with Denmark. He really believes he ended 8 wars and has brought inflation down.
I think that Europe has figured this out, as more and more I am seeing words from them like ‘mad’, ‘insane’, ‘crazy’, ’irrational’, etc. Even a senile person can still make rational decisions, but a schizophrenic person will say and do the most ridiculous things. Trump is living in a dream-world of his own making.
Therefore, in thinking about today’s politics, we should treat Trump as a madman, not as a doddering old man. A madman is probably more dangerous than a senile person, in that his actions are unpredictable and on a grand scale. Consider the following about Trump:
- His speeches are becoming more and more rambling and incoherent. He threatens more and more violent actions.
- His actions in Venezuela, Greenland, and Minnesota are becoming more and more unhinged.
- His delusions about ending 8 wars, being under attack by everyone, or producing an A++++ economy are getting wilder and wilder. A senile person would not attack Greenland, but a madman might.
By the way, I have often compared Trump to the mad Roman emperor Caligula. Today I looked up what happened to Caligula. He was assassinated.
Caligula named his horse as a Roman Senator