Doctors reveal symptoms of Trump Derangement Syndrome and how to tell if you’ve got it
Does the Village People’s YMCA makes your blood boil and your jaw tighten until it aches?
Or do you find yourself struggling to get behind policies, even if they agree with your worldview, because they were influenced by Donald Trump?
You might just be grappling with ‘Trump derangement syndrome.’
Minnesota Republicans are seeking to legitimize the pejorative term used to describe the left’s disdain for President Trump with a bill in the state legislature that would legally define it as a mental illness.
The Senate bill is a largely symbolic gesture without having a real impact on mental health practice or policy (its authors acknowledge that it does not have the necessary support or backing from Democratic Gov Tim Walz).
But while mental health experts have pointed to the harm of misusing medical and psychiatric terminology to pathologize political opposition, they argue that the term captures a kernel of truth.
Dr. Carole Lieberman, a prominent conservative voice who has been dubbed ‘America’s psychiatrist,’ told DailyMail.com: ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t just a joke—it’s a legitimate psychological phenomenon.
Extreme anger, hostile behavior, and over-the-top reactions to anything Trump-related—often disrupting normal functioning—are key signs of Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)
‘The symptoms mirror mass psychosis, where people lose all rational thinking when it comes to Trump.’
Signs of TDS can range from an inability to calm oneself down after hearing a speech or comment from the President to lashing out verbally or physically against supporters of the President.
Dr Lieberman added: ‘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.’
Dr Holly Ann Schiff, a psychiatrist practicing in Connecticut, disagrees, saying: ‘It is unlikely that the mere mention of Trump’s name is enough to make people violent.’
She thinks it has more to do with his public comments and policies.
‘I think how people feel about him, towards him and his administration’s policies are enough to cause people to become violent and aggressive,’ Dr Schiff added.
‘I think it is a fair term because their reactions are far too intense and go beyond just measured criticism or disagreement.’
Trump derangement syndrome became a buzzword among Republicans in 2017, but Dr Schiff sees the signs becoming more common and intense at the start of Mr Trump’s second term in office.
She said: ‘I do think more people are experiencing this more now than in 2016-2020 because the emotional charge surrounding Trump has only grown stronger and some people might be more entrenched in their feelings now, especially after what they feel like was a surprising defeat in this past election.
‘From a clinical and professional perspective, while patients addressed their discontent last time while he was in office, I don’t feel like the emotions were as high or dysregulated.
Dr. Carole Lieberman, a well-known conservative figure often referred to as ‘America’s psychiatrist,’ said that Trump Derangement Syndrome represents a real psychological condition with symptoms as resembling mass psychosis
Dr Holly Schiff noted that while patients expressed discontent during Trump’s first term, their emotions were more controlled. Now, she finds that current and new patients are arriving emotionally unstable, often unable to manage their intense feelings toward Trump
‘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.’
The origins of the term Trump derangement syndrome stretch all the way back to 2003.
Charles Krauthammer, a psychiatrist and conservative political columnist, coined the phrase Bush derangement syndrome to describe the intense and what he saw as unhinged responses to everything related to George W Bush’s presidency.
A harsh critic of Trump himself, Krauthammer defined TDS as an ‘inability to distinguish between legitimate policy differences and signs of psychic pathology’ in the president’s behavior.
This is the definition that Minnesota Republicans chose to include in their bill.
The bill 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.’
It further states that manifestations of TDS can include ‘verbal expressions of intense hostility’ toward the President and ‘overt acts of aggression and violence’ against his supporters.
Minnesota State Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen, one of the five GOP lawmakers who introduced the legislation, defended his bill, saying: ‘We should be able to have civil debates without demonstrating violent and unreasonable reactions such as burning down Tesla dealerships, threatening people who wear Trump hats or committing road rage at the sight of a Trump bumper sticker on a person’s car.
‘This irrational behavior is unacceptable in a civil society and suggests a deeper psychological problem. That is what this bill addresses, not mere political disagreements.’
