E 242: Profiling Trump Derangement Syndrome vs Media's Derangement Obsession

Today we will take a closer look at two serious diseases, TDS (aka Trump Derangement Syndrome) and MDO (Media Derangement Obsession).

Mark and I both have our lab jackets on as we pretend for a moment to be Chief Phycologist Profilers here in the Nut House.

According to Wikipedia,  Trump derangement syndrome (TDS) is a pejorative term used to describe negative reactions to Donald Trump that are perceived to be irrational and to have little regard for Trump's actual policy positions. 

The term has mainly been used by Trump supporters to discredit criticism of him, as a way of reframing the discussion by suggesting that his opponents are incapable of accurately perceiving the world. 

The origin of the term is traced to Charles Krauthammer, a conservative political columnist, commentator, and psychiatrist, who coined the phrase Bush derangement syndrome in 2003.  That "syndrome" was defined by Krauthammer as "the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies.  

The first use of the term Trump derangement syndrome may have been by Esther Goldberg in an August 2015 op-ed in The American Spectator.  Krauthammer, in an op-ed commented that—in addition to general hysteria about Trump—the "Trump Derangement Syndrome" was the "inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and ... signs of psychic pathology".

I wasn’t surprised that Wikipedia actually had a definition for TDS, but I was surprised to find a Wik definition for MDO.

"Media derangement obsession," is a term used to describe the idea that someone is fixated on criticizing or obsessing over a particular political figure. 

According to WEBSTERS Dictionary - Mental Disorder: 

“any of a broad range of medical conditions (such as major depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, or panic disorder) that are marked primarily by disorganization of personality, mind, or emotions.

In an article entitled, Think you've got Trump Derangement Syndrome, Psychiatrist reveal that "obsessive" and "violent" symptoms prevail.

Dr. Carole Lieberman, a conservative voice known as “America’s psychiatrist,” said, “Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t just a joke—it’s a legitimate psychological phenomenon.

 Lieberman said: “TDS causes otherwise logical individuals to become obsessive, paranoid, and even violent at the mere mention of Trump’s name—this level of emotional instability has real-world consequences.”

But Dr. Holly Ann Schiff, a Connecticut psychiatrist, pushed back, saying: “It is unlikely that the mere mention of Trump’s name is enough to make people violent.”

She said, “Regularly now, my current patients and new referrals are coming in really decompensated and unable to control their emotions due to their hatred and feelings towards Trump, which has a direct negative impact on their mental health and well-being.”

SO LET’S STOP RIGHT THERE.   Notice what the good Doctor said:  “…current patients and new referrals…unable to control their emotions due to their hatred and feelings…which has a direct negative impact on their mental health…”

An inability to control emotions due to HATRED.  

So we are going to take a look at Proverbs to see what it says about HATE.

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