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Nope, Trump Derangement Syndrome Isn’t a Real Condition
Misuse of mental health labels like “TDS” harms all Americans, and in this case, democracy itself.
Recently Minnesota legislators introduced a bill declaring “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (TDS) — which for the record applied to Trump detractors, not the president himself — to be a mental illness. But TDS is not recognized by any mental health organization or any medical classification system, and even in this topsy turvy world, isn’t likely to become an official diagnosis.
The group’s proposed legislation defines TDS as:
…the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal persons that is in reaction to the policies and presidencies of President Donald J. Trump. Symptoms may include Trump-induced general hysteria, which produces an inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology in President Donald J. Trump’s behavior. This may be expressed by:
(1) verbal expressions of intense hostility toward President Donald J. Trump; and
(2) overt acts of aggression and violence against anyone supporting President Donald J. Trump or anything that symbolizes President Donald J. Trump.
