And please, let me be the first to admit that my perspective is biased: I’ve pointed out some of Mr. Trump’s more troubling behaviors and said nothing of the many wonderful things he may have done as both an entrepreneur and as a human being. Those don’t make the headlines or Twitter, and so I’m left with my own observations and those of a liberal press (Of course, there’s a right-wing press, too, but that’s a topic for another time). For voters who align their beliefs with the National Rifle Association, and feel that illegal immigrants are a drain on our country and that people of certain faiths represent a terror threat to Americans, Mr. Trump apparently remains a reasonable candidate.
Is there a role here for living room consults from psychiatrists? Is there something for us as professionals to add to the prediction of Mr. Trump’s behavior if he becomes president? I don’t think so. Every American has ample data, and for those who are curious about Mr. Trump’s psychiatric status, they are free to Google the criteria for psychiatric disorders and see if they believe he meets them. The input of psychiatrists would neither change the election outcome nor accurately predict his behavior if elected. But it might make us look a bit grandiose.
Finally, I’ve focused here on Mr. Trump, while saying nothing about Secretary Hillary Clinton and her psychiatric status. She, too, has lived a public life, and while many of her activities have attracted media attention and scrutiny, I’ve seen nothing that has suggested she suffers from a psychiatric condition. There was, however, an op-ed piece in The New York Times on Aug. 23, 2016, by Frank Bruni, suggesting that Mrs. Clinton may have an 11th toe.
If nothing else, it’s time for this election to be over.
Dr. Miller is coauthor of “Committed: The Battle Over Involuntary Psychiatric Care,” forthcoming from Johns Hopkins University Press in fall 2016.