The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump

37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President - Updated and Expanded with New Essays

By: Bandy X. Lee, Robert Jay Lifton, Gail Sheehy, William J. Doherty, Noam Chomsky, Judith Lewis Herman M.D., Philip Zimbardo Ph.D., Rosemary Sword, Craig Malkin Ph.D., Tony Schwartz, Lance Dodes M.D., John D. Gartner Ph.D., Michael J. Tansey Ph.D., David M. Reiss M.D., James A. Herb M.A. Esq.

Narrated by: Bandy X. Lee, Luba Kessler M.D., Betty P. Teng M.F.A. L.M.S.W., P. J. Ochlan, Alex Hyde-White

As this bestseller predicted, Trump has only grown more erratic and dangerous as the pressures on him mount. This new edition includes new essays bringing the audiobook up to date—because this is still not normal.

Originally released in fall 2017, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump was a runaway bestseller. Alarmed Americans and international onlookers wanted to know: What is wrong with him?

That question still plagues us. The Trump administration has proven as chaotic and destructive as its opponents feared, and the man at the center of it all remains a cipher.

Constrained by the APA’s “Goldwater rule,” which inhibits mental health professionals from diagnosing public figures they have not personally examined, many of those qualified to weigh in on the issue have shied away from discussing it at all. The public has thus been left to wonder whether he is mad, bad, or both.

The prestigious mental health experts who have contributed to the revised and updated version of The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump argue that their moral and civic "duty to warn" supersedes professional neutrality. Whatever affects him, affects the nation: From the trauma people have experienced under the Trump administration to the cult-like characteristics of his followers, he has created unprecedented mental health consequences across our nation and beyond. With eight new essays (about one hundred pages of new material), this edition will cover the dangerous ramifications of Trump's unnatural state.

It’s not all in our heads. It’s in his.

This program is read by Alex Hyde-White, William Dufris, Hillary Huber, Rosa Maria Bramble, Nanette Gartrell, Leonard L. Glass, Prudence Gourguechon, Luba Kessler, Bandy X. Lee, James R. Merikangas, Elizabeth Mika, P. J. Ochlan, Richard Painter, Jennifer Contarino Panning, Thomas Singer, Steven Soldz, Rosemary Sword, Michael J. Tansey, Betty P. Teng, Lise Van Susteren, Kevin Washington, and Steve Wruble.

Critic reviews

"This is an historic work in the history of American psychiatry. We have never been in this place before." —Lawrence O'Donnell

"There will not be a book published this fall more urgent, important, or controversial than The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump...profound, illuminating and discomforting" —Bill Moyers

"The stand these psychiatrists are taking takes courage, and their conclusions are compelling." —The Washington Post

"This insightful collection is grounded in historical consciousness of the ways professionals have responded to fascist leaders and unstable politicians in the past. It is a valuable primary source documenting the critical turning point when American psychiatry reassessed the ethics of restraining commentary on the mental health of public officials in light of the “duty to warn” of imminent danger. Medical and legal experts thoughtfully assess diagnoses of Trump’s behavior and astutely explore how to scrutinize political candidates, address client fears, and assess the 'Trump Effect' on our social fabric." —Estelle Freedman, the Robinson Professor in U.S. History at Stanford University

Crucial Information for Every American

Everyone needs to listen to this fascinating series of essays! Those of us who have been appalled by observing Trump's crazy behavior during the presidential campaign and since his election are aware of the bizarre and frightening aspects of his personality. This book not only confirms what we know, but also gives us the professional perspective we need to articulate our concerns. Individual essays address his malignant narcissism, sociopathy, pathological lying, delusions of grandeur, etc. For those of us who have had great difficulty in adjusting to life in the Trump era, I can't recommend this book highly enough. We are not wrong and we are not alone!

Required Reading for Citizens

This book is essentially preaching to the choir, but it is an excellent, restrained, intelligent but urgent message lest we fall into complacency or denial of the current precarious state we find ourselves in. I learned a lot. I now understand my biggest mystery--why the supporters fervently support such madness and irresponsibility.

The Truth

Here's a great way to learn about the unfortunate truth of the occupant of the US Presidency.

Eye Opening

As someone with a psych background this was insightful and well written. I wish it was mandatory reading for anyone of age of voting in both the USA and abroad.

For those who've studied Psychology in any serious way, this is a great education on our sometimes conflicting duties and ethical dilemmas. It's great practice to help you determine where your line is drawn so you won't have to figure that out should the time ever come for you to take a stand.

Many people who are hateful of others who do not share their beliefs or preferences will rate this book negatively - by now we should all be aware of this phenomenon and take it with a grain of salt.

For those who do not hold formal education in psychology, some of the essays may seem redundant or meaningless, but it's not for those within the field. However, know that this is not a diagnosis of an individual - as explained no person not in a client-therapist role can determine with 100% certainty an exact diagnosis and the ethical contract would prevent them from sharing this even if they were in such a relationship anyway except in very few circumstances.

However risk assessment and exploration of potentialities... Well that's what we in psychology are well trained for. Giving a professional opinion and writing essays on said opinions and how one got there is what this book is about.

When it first came out those involved were attempted to be silenced by strong armed otherwise respected individuals in the field. They persisted and the consensus grew (Streisand effect). It initially was less than 30 essays. Now it's up to 37. There's a growing community of mental health and social workers who have seen the risk from the get go and frankly the risk applies to all countries with a growing population of hate groups and emboldened nationalist ideologies. Regardless of the overarching regulatory bodies we're taught to respect and not question - these are comprised of humans afterall and any person on power in a hierarchy should be held to account on legitimatizing their continued occupation in such a role. That's the reciprocal nature of respect and prestige - neither are a once earned forever attained constant variable. At least they shouldn't be.

We all have a lot of work to do to overcome this vs watching our communities disintegrate. This book is more on the reasons why and how this occurs via case example of an individual leader and their effects on others but also how this leader was given power in this role in the first place.

There's other texts on analysis and solutions available for what we need to do now. But this may be the motivation for resiliency in facing such obstacles in the weeks and years to come.

Vital Reading

This book taps into the professional perspective that the Trump saga has so far been missing. I personally didn’t need the extended defence and explanation of the ethical issues but can see why it was necessary in today’s climate. Fascinating insights, I will listen to it again as there was so much to take it, and I hope other mental health professionals come forward and help to inform and ultimately help protect the public in the future.