Donald J. Trump visits Mississippi in 2018, campaigning for reelection.
‘Trump Anxiety Disorder’ on the rise, therapists say
By: Kyle Morris, Yellow Hammer
Therapists have now coined the phrase ‘Trump Anxiety Disorder’ after hearing from an increasing number of patients who name President Donald Trump’s “volatility” as part of their issues.
In a report from Canadian news outlet, CBC, Elisabeth LaMotte detailed the anxiety stemming from her patients.
One patient reportedly asked LaMotte at her Washington practice if Trump was going to “blow us up.”
LaMotte, who is the founder of the D.C. Counseling and Psychotherapy Center, refers to those feeling on edge about the president’s decisions as “collective anxiety.”
“There is a fear of the world ending,” she said. “It’s very disorienting and constantly unsettling.”
Report: US Therapists See Increase in Patients With ‘Trump Anxiety Disorder’ https://t.co/juMOo5HdVE pic.twitter.com/IXQ6NbmrAH
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 30, 2018
Therapists have reported unusually high levels of politics-related stress in their practices for the past few months.
LaMotte added some patients are in pain after “feeling socially or familially isolated” for favoring the president’s agenda, “even if they don’t support his tactics.”
LaMotte also made mention that the anxiety exhibited by these patients strongly resembles those of people raised by parents with a personality disorder. She said those resembling traits are ones like “grandiosity, excessive attention-seeking and severe lack of empathy.”
“Whether it’s conscious or not, I think we look to the president of the United States as a psychological parent,” she explained.
The symptoms of ‘Trump Anxiety Disorder’ vary, however, LaMotte said they often include feeling a loss of control and helplessness and fretting about what’s occurring in the country and excessive time on social media.
“They say they’re wondering what’s next,” LaMotte stated.
According to LaMotte, Trump’s appointment of conservative judges to the Supreme Court has left lesbian clients “significantly concerned about the legitimacy of their marriage in the future.”
The report also lists examples of specific patients, specifically one who supports President Trump’s agenda.
Jaime Gale from Ohio fears “getting pounced on by somebody who doesn’t like me because of Trump.”
