Trump Anxiety Disorder(guide)
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In this article, we will discuss Trump anxiety disorder, its relation with politics, symptoms, complains, and confessions connected to Trump anxiety disorder, as well as positive and negative opinions of celebrities about the president.
What is Trump Anxiety Disorder?
Trump anxiety disorder is a particular type of concern in which the symptoms are “characteristic of Trump’s election and resulting from an unpredictable socio-political climate.”
It refers to the feeling of insecurity that has spread since Donald Trump took office as president and can lead to real anxiety disorders, reports Yannick Wiget, a journalist of the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger.
The term “Trump anxiety disorder,” is suggested by Jennifer Panning, a psychologist from Evanston, Illinois.
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Trump Anxiety Disorder and Politics
A survey called “Stress in America” was conducted among 3617 adults living in the US, between August 1 and September 3, 2019.
According to it, 56 percent of people claimed that the 2020 election was a significant stressor, in contrary to 52 percent before the 2016 election.
The main concern is Trump’s warlike rhetoric regarding some countries – North Korea, Iran, and Russia although the disorder began to be noticed by psychologists within a few months after Trump won the election in the fall of 2016.
According to an online study in February 2017, two-thirds of Americans are worried about the future of the country.
More than 3,500 people claimed that the reason for their anxiety is extreme political polarization.
The study found a strong relationship between stress levels and electronic news consumption.
“There is great uncertainty about the potential consequences of the president’s decisions and collective fear of the end of the world,” said psychologist Elisabeth Joy LaMotte in an interview with CBC News.
Not only Trump’s opponents but also his supporters suffer from the current political climate in the United States.
According to LaMotte, critics of the president have anxiety that is very similar to the fears of patients raised by parents with personality disorders or lack of empathy.
Those who support Trump feel “isolated in society or the family”: because of their political views, they often encounter misunderstanding and hatred.
“It reminds me of how I felt after September 11th, a period when I experienced fear of the unknown and unfamiliar,” shared her anxiety with her therapist, a Trump supporter, 38 years old Jaime Gale (remembering September 11, 2001 attacks on the US). “It scared the crap out of me. Now I am scared of getting pounced on by somebody who does not like me because of Trump, just online.”
Trump Anxiety Disorder Symptoms
Clinical psychologist Jennifer Panning wrote a chapter in a collection by mental health experts.
It is called “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” and is about Trump anxiety disorder, attempted to describe the symptoms of Trump Anxiety Disorder.
Psychiatrists edited the book at Harvard Medical School and Yale School of Medicine.
Even though Trump anxiety disorder is not an officially recognized disease, psychologists, involving J. Panning, differ anxiety symptoms in it, some of which are:
- Excessive worry,
- Muscle tension,
- Obsessive thought patterns,
- Obsessive preoccupation with the news (in particular, political news),
- Feeling of helplessness,
- Feeling a loss of control,
- Spending lots of time on social media,
- Lowered sex drive,
- Concerns about what is happening in the country and others.
Trump Anxiety Disorder; Complains and Confessions
You can find below some complains and confessions connected to Trump anxiety disorder:
- Psychologist Jennifer Panning said that one of her married lesbian clients got extremely worried about their marriage legitimacy in the future after getting informed about Trump’s appointment of one conservative justice to the Supreme Court and the recent nomination of another.
- “When (special counsel) Robert Mueller’s indictments news dropped, I wound up staying up in the middle of the night when I should have been sleeping, just thinking about it, just worried for our country,” said Connie Sherman, the manager of a dental practice in San Diego.
- A Philadelphian married couple discovered that Trump had a negative influence on their love life. Their psychotherapist Cynthia Baum-Baicker mentioned that they were not arguing about the president, but were dealing with stress differently. As it is known, information reduces the levels of stress and anxiety, so the wife was watching TV to cope with them. However, TV news was kind of a psychic tether for her. Baum-Baicker presented the husband’s words, “If you ever want to be intimate again, you will turn the TV off in the bedroom. I cannot have that man present and listen to him and feel any sense of arousal.”
- “Authority figures represent the parent, (so) President Trump sits in the seat of the parent for all Americans. So now, my “father figure” is a bully, is an authoritarian who does not believe in studying and doing homework. (Rather than reassurance) he creates uncertainty,” said Baum-Baicker.
- Elisabeth Joy LaMotte said, “Conservatives are hurting, too. I view this anxiety as a collective in an extreme sense. They are hurting in part because conservatives feel that they do not have permission to share their real views or feel conflicted because they agree with things that the president is doing, but they are uncomfortable with his language and tactics. Moreover, they feel alienated and isolated from friends and family who differ from their views, as if there is no permission to view it differently in D.C.”
- “Gaslighting is essentially a tactic used by abusive personalities to make the abused person feel as though they are not experiencing reality, or that it is made up or false. The only reality one can trust is one that is defined by the abuser. Trump does this daily—he lies, uses ambiguities, demonizes the press. It is a macroscopic version of an abusive relationship,” said Dominic Sisti, a behavioral health care expert at the University of Pennsylvania who wrote an article with Baum-Baicker about Trump’s effect on stress and anxiety.
- Washington therapist Steve Stosny told that an official met him, sharing how anxious he felt about his job in White House. It also had a significant adverse effect on his personal life: his family was turning away from him. His daughter was starting hating him; the relationship with his wife was also awful, as she was hardly bearing him and his work. The official left the job in the White House. Nevertheless, it was late, as they started the divorce process.
Celebrities Against President Donald Trump
“Never once did I dream that there would be one through arrogance and ignorance, who could change our world, who could change the face of our world. I know you can stop this because the power of the people is bigger than those fools that are there in Washington. I tried not to have a potty mouth, but it is just me, okay? You must never give up because the thing that will help us that will get us through this is anger. Otherwise, we will be in sadness and depression.” — Cher
“Everywhere he has gone, he has abused power and people who are less powerful than him.” — Alec Baldwin
“It becomes increasingly clear how in over his head and incapable this man is of being president of the United States. The good news is that our other institutions—meaning press, finally, and judges and senators—have proven that the country works. There are a check and balance.” — George Clooney
“Voldemort was nowhere near as bad.” — J. K. Rowling
“If he were smart, he would be even more dangerous. He is as dangerous as it is. He is terrible, and a flat-out blatant racist and doubling down on that, and it is good that he does because he is going to sink himself. We are at a crisis in this country with this fool, who never should have gotten into the position that he is in.” — Robert de Niro
Celebrities Supporting President Trump
“Trump is not a politician. He does not need your money, and he will speak his mind, God damn it, whether you like it or not. Moreover, he has no problem saying, ‘F— off.’ I like that. Even if I disagree.” — Gene Simmons
Ted Nugent said that Trump “should be given the Medal of Freedom for speaking his mind in such a bold, honest, and straightforward manner.”
Bob Knight said that he believes that Donald Trump will be “one of the four great presidents of the United States.”
“I have met many people in life, and I have found it best to form opinions about them by actually meeting them in person. What I observed is a man that is perfectly suited to run this country. One thing you know about me is good or bad. I will always tell it like it is. This guy is the Real Deal, and will Make America Great Again,” said Jesse James.
“We should thank God that Trump is in this race. The media and the establishment are terrified.” — Robert Davi
Recommended books and sources
1. Trump vs. Your Mental Health: Therapists Reveal What Will Calm Your Daily Anxiety in the Trump Era
2. Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President
3. Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump
4. Twilight of American Sanity: A Psychiatrist Analyzes the Age of Trump
6. HFNE “Overcoming Anxiety (How?)”
7. HFNE “Yoga for Anxiety (Guide)”
Conclusion
Thus, Trump anxiety disorder is a particular type of concern in which the symptoms are “characteristic of Trump’s election and resulting from an unpredictable socio-political climate.”
Although it is not an official disease, Trump anxiety disorder has symptoms, such as excessive worry, muscle tension, obsessive thought patterns, and others.
However, the US president has not only opponents but also supporters among Americans, involving celebrities (also all over the world).
Please feel free to comment on the content or ask any questions in the comments section below.
What we recommend for curbing Anxiety
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References
1. Democrats Agree on One Thing: They are Very, Very Nervous
2. Trump May Not Be Crazy, But the Rest of Us Are Getting There Fast
Take Control of Your Anxiety Today: Personalized Counseling with BetterHelp
