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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHe's decompensating physically and psychiatrically
Last edited Sun Sep 20, 2020, 10:58 AM - Edit history (1)
Yes, I am aware that diagnosis by television screen is considered inappropriate. But so is grabbing women by the p***y so two can play that game.
Although endomorphs do not display muscle-wasting and loss of tone in the same manner in which Mesomorphs or ectomorphs do, there is a distinct change in his appearance over the last two months. The whole expression has changed markedly and the middle face appears somewhat compressed which would be the case if muscularity has changed and there was less tone present. In addition, there is something about his eyes which are increasingly unfocused and if you notice he rarely stares directly at anyone or anything. His posture, never ideal to say the least, has deteriorated and his gait is altered. When I took anatomy, the professor once noted that you can recognize people at a distance by their gait and manner of walking even if you cannot see the face. He added that alterations in the gait often emanate from pathology, including undiagnosed motor issues. There is no question that as clumsy and off as he ever was, things have progressed downhill recently and rapidly.
I dont need to reiterate any discussions here about the degradation of his cognitive, speaking, and inherit verbal abilities. His learning disabilities have been clearly accentuated by whatever damage is ongoing. I personally believe that the incredible stress which he is under is giving rise to this decompensation, and always remember in addition to everything that we know about they are untold numbers of things that he knows about that he is afraid of the revelations Which would be another tiny nail in his political and personal coffin.
As a personal aside, the reason I believe that I am sensitive to these observations is it up until a little over a year ago I was under terrible personal, professional, and physical stress which in my opinion nearly destroyed my life. These circumstances also rendered me physically altered, and I am only just beginning to emerge from the negative impacts upon my physical being which this exacted. It could happen to anyone big or small, and relatively speaking my issues were minor compared with what he is and will be dealing with. I cannot imagine the stress upon his system which he is ill-equipped to manage in every sense. In keeping with the subject, there is a case history which I would like to relate at this time.
Many years ago here in Northeast Philadelphia, theres a hospital for the insane as they used to call it called Byberry. Within the facility they were many people employed at ordinary functions who were inmates. Two of these people included the cobbler and his assistant who were tasked with repairing shoes for the other people within the population. It was noticed one day by the clinical staff that the cobblers assistant was exhibiting decreasing brain function and ability to cope and perform normal tasks. They ran medical tests upon him, and found that other than a slightly elevated level of iron in his bloodstream, he was otherwise normal. However over time, his functions began to deteriorate so dramatically that he was hospitalized and a full battery of tests was run on him including x-rays. Incredibly, and almost beyond belief, the x-ray of the skull showed thousands of small protuberances which were radiopaque and placed into his brain. It turned out that the cobbler every day would hammer some shoe nails into his head and they were so small that they did not cause a major infarction but of course Over time and volume, they caused brain dysfunction, and thus the elevated levels of iron in the blood stream.
The point Im trying to make here is that regression is extremely slow but noticeable over time, and often due to an unknown factor. I have some theories as to the etiology of this mans issues, but it is unnecessary And unwise for me to post them here. Time will tell and I believe there will not be much time before the obvious becomes extremely clear.
Hugin
(33,135 posts)Although, apart from some juvenile experimentation with simple psychopharmacology, I have no creds.
Maybe we should confer with a specialist at a glue factory?
grantcart
(53,061 posts)Hugin
(33,135 posts)They're brain food, right?
dweller
(23,628 posts)big shots he's getting in his fat ass 🤔
✌🏼
ananda
(28,858 posts)I think his continued drug use is catching up to him,
along with the stress.
no_hypocrisy
(46,086 posts)When my father deteriorated both physically and mentally, the golf clubs stayed in his car trunk.
Like Trump, golf was something that my father really looked forward to. He knew it was time to stop when he couldn't hit the ball more than a few feet, if at all.
Trump can BS during the rallies and "press conferences". Golf doesn't lie.
getagrip_already
(14,731 posts)All we get to see is him riding around in a golf cart. Everything else has been "off camera" or some staged photo his staff releases. I don't think the press has ever been allowed along to document his "game".
I doubt he does much more than duff a few balls. Whine and make excuses, and then go back to the clubhouse.
5X
(3,972 posts)Back in the day, many years ago, I did speed fairly regularly and was around a lot of people that did a lot more
than I did. He has all the symptoms of someone on speed of some kind during some speeches and symptoms of
xanax or valium during others.
Typical for some speeders to come down with a sedative.
The blurting out of almost incoherent phrases, sideways thinking, sniffing, not being able to stand still,
all symptoms of speed use.
duforsure
(11,885 posts)Plus one of his tells is he accuses others of what he's doing, and a clear pattern he uses often . He knows his big con is going to get exposed soon , and then he'll claim he's the victim , again one of his go to excuses he often uses when he doesn't get his way. This time he's more desperate knowing prison cold soon become a reality for him and his family.
yardwork
(61,599 posts)Hortensis
(58,785 posts)account for all his dysfunctional behaviors, though I've read other mental disorders may also be in play. I really don't understand why his presidency hasn't lead all functioning Americans to become far more knowledgeable about personality disorders. They're very common.
Of course, even if he didn't abuse alcohol and drugs when young, that doesn't mean he couldn't also be using drugs to try to function in his old age. That corrupt chief WH physician would very likely supply almost anything Trump insisted on. Just that that would be on top of serious underlying disorder he's displayed for decades, and which was expected by many experts to worsen drastically under pressure-cooker conditions.
GoCubsGo
(32,080 posts)It's pretty damn blatant. Whether it's "decompensating" or drugs, he is quite obviously deteriorating. The Senate should have given him the hook months ago. Those responsible for him remaining in office need to be put up on criminal charges. The guy is blatantly ill and getting worse by the day. It's sickening to watch, and even more sickening given the amount of power he is being allowed to hold.
enough
(13,256 posts)How has he managed to make it this far when it has seemed for so long that hes about to blow up or just mentally and physically collapse? What keeps him going?
Thanks for your insight, PCIntern. Im glad you have come to a place where youre emerging from such awful stress. Time can work wonders.
mercuryblues
(14,530 posts)and followers. All of them notice it, none of them care as long as they get what they want. It will be interesting to see how far theywill take this.
Lonestarblue
(9,979 posts)It was obvious to the people around him that he was deteriorating mentally, but Nancy and his friends in his administration hid that from the public so he could be reelected. I think Reagans dementia came on slowly, but there is no doubt he was compromised during his second term.
I read a book by Leslie Stahl years ago in which she said that she had seen the decline in Reagan but chose to say nothing, as did her fellow news reporters. Trumps enablers are doing the same to get another term where they will be in charge as Trump deteriorates. I think Pence especially is on this bandwagon.
2naSalit
(86,569 posts)Indeed. He's the one telling everyone in hushed tones to "stay the course". The course to what? Fascism apparently.
Nexus2
(1,261 posts)with a wall of life support equipment that speaks through a speaker in a obviously fake voice (or possibly edited recordings of his earlier speeches) as long as he keeps pandering to their grievances, telling them how special they are and fulfilling desires of his 'enablers' that are using them now.
At least it seems that way
paleotn
(17,911 posts)Amazing what you can accomplish with modern pharmacology and those heavily invested in his pResidency.
Cirque du So-What
(25,932 posts)marble falls
(57,079 posts)barbtries
(28,788 posts)he argues that trump has frontal temporal dementia and has some long threads making this argument, persuasively.
and this guy
https://twitter.com/DrGJackBrown
who discusses trump's body language as well as the dilation of his eyes at events. he believes that trump is on drugs, with which i agree. (trump's recent efforts to pin that on Biden are projecting his own reality imo)
I'm not a psychiatrist or psychologist either, but it absolutely does not take one to recognize that trump is severely damaged. his behavior is so abnormal. some people know others who act like that, but not on such a huge stage. i was involved for one year with a man who (I am convinced) had borderline personality disorder and he is the only person i have ever known personally whose behavior was so outrageous and incomprehensible. trump is him times 1,0000.
he's killing people. it's okay for him that he is killing people. he will put his political "enemies" in prison if he is allowed to do so. Barr is also deserving of psychiatric examination in my opinion; he appears poised to give trump his wish. stephen miller is part of this sort of mass insanity that is running this country right now.
terrifying.
mountain grammy
(26,619 posts)I've also been following Jack Brown and agree, it's painfully obvious.
gab13by13
(21,318 posts)because Trump's down hill slide has become so obvious. Mentally he has lost it, I mean he just Tweeted about a farting sound.
I thought from the beginning when he became president because he was so unfit for the job that he would have a breakdown. I'm surprised he has lasted this long.
Mike 03
(16,616 posts)are the chapters in which interviews with Trump are transcribed verbatim (punctuated by observations from Woodward). The repetition and chaotic flights from subject to subject, then returning to whatever Trump's current obsession is, are stark. For some reason, it's more disturbing to read the words than to hear him speak, something which others have noticed when we have seen portions of his speeches transcribed here in DU posts.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)My first reaction is how these people who see him like this can be concerned among themselves, yet not do anything about it. Putting party (or personality) above country here can be fatal to us all. They are doing us and him no favors here. They are complicit.
And yes, reading his words is the same as reading Jabberwocky. Ive always thought he is illiterate, which comes out as inarticulateness and is why he relies so heavily on the hand gestures, superlatives, inappropriate adjectives, and repetitive phrases.
Mike 03
(16,616 posts)When I have a little bit more energy, I think I'll post some of the most disturbing examples of Trump's speech from Woodward's book so that others can see it too.
I'm around midway through it. The thought of this guy running the country is so disturbing. I can't take four more years of this insanity.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)I can never get past my horror that this man is president. His handlers and enablers will have a special place in hell, as far as Im concerned.
What is truly scary is... the tricks that hes used all his life to hide his obvious inadequacies are no longer working... the deflections, magical thinking, ad hominems, bullying, walking away when things get too hard...they cant work here. So he doubles down on them, making things 100,000,000 times worse.
He reminds me now of a trapped animal. Dangerous and unpredictable.
Response to Mike 03 (Reply #16)
AngryOldDem This message was self-deleted by its author.
Native
(5,942 posts)aren't exactly windows to the soul, but that vacant look in his eyes that I've noticed over the last month or two has definitely been getting more pronounced, and I find it really, really creepy. I've seen that vacant look in people with more advanced cases of dementia, so it's just weird to me to see that emptiness in someone who is still functioning at the level he's functioning.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)To me, hes always had a vacant stare. His eyes remind me of my sons ball pythons reptilian, cold, no emotion. Unless the pics Ive seen have been Photoshopped, the unfocused appearance is scary.
And many of his speeches have been dull and monotone, little or no inflection. Basically, he looks burdened and defeated, just going through the motions. This is a miserable man who seems to be set on autopilot. He once had a really great life, a big fish in a relatively small pond where he could control everything and everyone. He is way out of his league now and all his insecurities and inadequacies are catching up with him.
Recently I watched videos of Trump from twenty and thirty years ago and though, he was still an obnoxious self-promoting jerk, he seemed like a totally different person.
AngryOldDem
(14,061 posts)Physical/mental concerns aside.
I think on some level he knows he is a total, abject failure at this job.
And why has he taken all of us down this rabbit hole? To prove to his long-dead Dad that he is worthy, not like that total loser Fred Jr., who was perhaps the most grounded, normal member of that twisted family. Thats it. Thats why were here.
I really resent my health, safety, and well-being held hostage to somebodys lingering daddy issues.
PatSeg
(47,415 posts)And I'm really tired of leaders with daddy issues. GW had serious daddy issues and that led to the invasion of a sovereign nation and unrest in the Middle East that still affects the world today. How many people died because George wanted to one up his father? Now we have a monster in the White House, who had a father who rewarded his son for being dishonest, cold, and cruel. Thanks a lot Fred, your god-awful legacy lives on.
This is a reminder to all parents, think carefully about how you raise your sons.
USALiberal
(10,877 posts)Upthevibe
(8,039 posts)Excellent analysis. Thank you so much for your well thought out and well stated assessment....
Illumination
(2,458 posts)Thank you...
keithbvadu2
(36,778 posts)Learned a new word.
Decompensating
nolabear
(41,959 posts)Youre right. With all the caveats about not diagnosing en absentia, hes an astoundingly public figure both in word and physically, and the deterioration unmasks the long-standing psychopathology. Theres the fact that he has increasing flights of thought, the failure of filters, and then theres what he says in those flights. He cant keep the false front going any more, and the bellowing of the crowd acts as his frame of reference (and a batshit crazy one, to use a professional term) as his own breaks down.
He doesnt seem to have much orientation as to time and place, skating along minute by minute and using his cunning to read the situation and respond to whats gone on in the last minute or so. Thats why, I think, he answers questions as he does. He grabs onto a small piece and then the flight of ideas back to his familiar phrases and complaints kicks in.
He, the mob and the enablers are all one entity, and if any one breaks down the entity fails. That these three parts are holding this country hostage for this long is, in a psychosocial sense, utter madness.
yardwork
(61,599 posts)The Democratic Party has consistently underestimated Trump's ability for cunning. His tweets and statements are mislabeled as "stupid" or "crazy" but they have a purpose. The purpose is to convince his followers that scary people are after them, and only Trump can save them.
Trump himself may be decompensating but his scripts are still on target.
PatSeg
(47,415 posts)and though at one time, he may have had to use it consciously, now it is just second nature to him. After many years, he tends to react out of habit. There is little thought process involved anymore. It is now instinctual. When his tactics don't work, it throws him off and he just adamantly doubles down. There is no actual creative thinking, Donald is all act and react. "This worked before, it has to work again."
Being he is incapable of listening to the advice of other people, he will just keep digging the hole deeper and deeper, believing he can recreate the magic of 2016 with the same tired scripts.
NCjack
(10,279 posts)that it is too slow.
I hoped The Lincoln Project would accelerate his condition to a decision to remove him before the voting began -- but, he must have switched to a healthier diet.
smb
(3,471 posts)Nexus2
(1,261 posts)insane, like screaming slurs and profanity during one of Press/Rallies or dropping his pants and openly groping Ivanka. But perhaps, given his power and number sycophants, that's fortunate.
cp
(6,625 posts)Two things to add:
1) When he's not president* the bill comes due from Putin, along with all the Russian money he's laundered. He may be terrified of a polonium cocktail.
2) Mary Trump wa explicit about him being coddled all his life. Her phrase was that he's been institutionalized. He certainly is in the White House.
Also agree with the post about him, his mob, and his accomplices (enabler is too kind) being one entity.
Orrex
(63,203 posts)I can't wait until he keels over dead, shitting and pissing himself into oblivion on live international TV. And how fucking great will it be three days later when his cult of idiot racist fuckheads has to accept that he's not rising from the dead?
That'll be amazing.
PCIntern
(25,541 posts)Ilsa
(61,694 posts)Link to tweet
?s=19
See anyone you know? This pic was part of a lecture given in 1888 by Jean-Martin Charcot a renowned French neurologist & professor of anatomical pathology. He was noting precise differences & characteristics of the PSP form of Frontotemporal Dementia even b4 it had it's own name
Ilsa
(61,694 posts)I doubt she wants to spend another 5% of her life being FLOTITS, at least not without a big bump in pay. I bet she's told him to get ready for new contract negotiations, and it's infuriating him and his spawn, aggravating his condition.
leighbythesea2
(1,200 posts)For this thoughtful post.
Very interesting! Especially the musculature comments.
I am sorry to hear of your personal extreme stress. Glad you are better. Have always enjoyed your knowledgeable posts.
Legit info as to how stress can cause health deterioration is a mired topic, when i look it up.
If u google you get a million things. Complete with Goop stress vitamin packs.
I have been under the most extreme stress in a long time. Complicated. But i care for my mom with dementia. & it runs in maternal side, strong.
Have had myself, moments like "why did i just mis-pronouce that word?" Or why am i forgerting everything. The inclination can be 'oh no, here it is, early onset" when dementia is observable in your life, everyday.
Rather, Iike to think, stress is undoing my mental capacity some and it's temporary. Too much multitasking. Too much fight or flight. Something like that.
To hear you say, theres deterioration due to a condition Don has (weve all suspected) AND the stress is exacerbated or hastening it, makes so much sense.
And that you felt stress was affecting you in a profound way---i dont wish it on anyone--but it makes me feel bit better knowing it CAN be gotten though. So thanks for that as well.
PCIntern
(25,541 posts)Remember, anyone can misplace their car keys, but if you look at your keys and dont know what they do, thats when you have a problem.
leighbythesea2
(1,200 posts)Yes. I try to keep this in mind!
Problem may partially stem from my mother being "the smartest person i know" as i was told by literally 100 people over my life (jeopardy level smart).
Which, in turn, has made messaging to me comprised of adjectives like "bright", "articulate" etc. Am a bit of dull blade right now. Keys lost, yep. Know what they do though, check.
Captain Zero
(6,805 posts)He does get some extreme downtime every day in the Mornings. Now they and he will claim he watches Fox and Friends in the morning, but I say often he is sleeping in, getting oxygen and massages. All kinds of pampering to wind him up And send him out from 1pm to 8pm. and there are even breaks in that routine.
Hekate
(90,653 posts)...to juice him up.
So now we know: Trump is getting an injection in the buttocks of some kind of stimulant before his rallies. I dont know how long he can keep this up he made the claim while hanging on to his podium for dear life, kind of tilted over.
Gore1FL
(21,128 posts)It was out-of-the-blue and it clearly makes more sense when applied to him than to Biden. The speech where the chunks of white granules flying out of his nose certainly confirms medication of some sort being used/abused.