The APA’s Failure to Protect by Muzzling Mental Health Experts Who Warned That Donald Trump Is Dangerous: An Interview With Psychiatrist Dr. Jim Fleming

We as a Society Need to Do Better to Warn Citizens Regarding the Potential Dangerousness of Politicians

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has failed the public and their own professionals by an interpretation of the so-called Goldwater “rule” and by ignoring a doctor’s commitment to protect the community by speaking out about a grave danger. Since before 2016, mental health experts like Yale forensic psychiatrist Bandy X. Lee have tried to warn the public about Donald Trump as not fit for the presidency. Dr. Lee edited a New York Times bestselling book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump, and helped to found an international organization of mental health professionals called the World Mental Health Coalition. I joined from its inception. The book was expanded and reissued with chapters by experts that warn against the dangers of Trump’s mental instability. The first edition released in fall 2017 featured 27 experts and the 2nd edition featured 37 experts. (I wrote about her book in a previous blog.)