The Final Solution: Donald Trump and PDD

Persistent Depressive Disorder or Dysthymia affects millions of Americans. But if we are to base the diagnosis of depression on behavior, then it's unlikely that Donald Trump has ever suffered from this ailment. Even at the times in his career when he has been threatened with bankruptcy and unable to pay loans or contractors, Trump has never, at least publicly, shown any signs of being even mildly under the weather. Have you ever met people who constantly blame others for their problems? That's Trump in a nutshell. Luckily he won. If he'd lost it would have been not because of any defects in his policies or character but because of the fact that the system was rigged. Trump never seems to turn his aggression against himself. It's always projected onto an enemy who almost immediately assumes a soubriquet such as "Crooked Hillary," "Lyin' Ted," "Little Marco," or the "failing" New York Times. Trump University has had to pay a $25 million dollar settlement in response to fraud charges. Someone suffering from PDD might feel totally shot down in having to publicly admit such wrong doing, but not Trump. There may be a lot else wrong with Trump, when you study the pathology of his character. The narcissistic alexithymia, which David Brooks has discussed ("Donald Trump's, Sad, Lonely Life," NYT, 10/11/16) might be a good starting point if you were interested in analyzing his failings, but Trump otherwise appears to be on steroids as he Twitters himself off into the night. The next time you feel even the slightest inkling that you might be feeling down, follow Trump's example: fail to take responsibility for your actions and blame everyone else for your bad luck, then expunge any traces of conscience from your personality and you run a good chance of being immune from PDD.

{This was originally posted to The Screaming Pope, Francis Levy's blog of rants and reactions to contemporary politics, art and culture}