The Goldwater rule is the informal name given to the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) 1973 ethics ruling, which states that it is unethical for psychiatrists to give a professional opinion about public figures they have not examined in person and obtained consent from to discuss their mental health in public statements. It is named for Barry Goldwater, who sued the APA , and won, following his unsuccessful run for the presidency in 1964, when Fact Magazine published “The Unconscious of a Conservative: A Special Issue on the Mind of Barry Goldwater.” They asked 12,300 psychiatrists whether Barry Goldwater was “psychologically fit” to be president. 2,400 psychiatrists responded, and about 1,200 said that Goldwater was “unfit.”

The American Psychological Association also adopted this rule.

These psychologists, banging their “funereal drum,” have abandoned all sense of ethics.

But who needs ethical guidelines when you can march down Broadway making an a** of yourself, er, making a “political statement.”

Or something.

Via Washington Examiner.

One of the most distressing developments in the Trump era is the growing disregard for professional standards.

Critics complain that America’s 45th president has debased the White House. They say he has brought an attitude and spirit with him that is far below the nobility of the office of the president….

Many in the news and entertainment industries have discarded years of professional standards, diving headfirst into the muck, and all in the name of “getting” Trump.

The latest example of professionals lowering themselves to meet our gradually degrading politics took place this weekend in New York City, where 125 mental health professionals marched on Broadway to demand that Trump be declared mentally unfit and removed from office.

This violates at least the spirit of American Psychological Association code of ethics, which states that mental health experts should never perform armchair analyses of persons with whom they’ve never met to conduct an in-person evaluation.

Psychologist Michelle Golland said…”We’re actually suffering from his narcissistic personality,” she said. “He has no empathy. You can feel it, the way he spoke about the San Juan mayor … She has PTSD and our president mistreats her. She is re-victimized. That is a narcissist.”

The Post described Saturday’s mental health demonstration, writing, “The marchers, dressed in black and wearing red plastic strips around their necks reading “Danger,” were led by psychologist Peter Fraenkel of City College, who carried a drum and beat out a funereal rhythm.”

Because that sounds very healthy and normal….

The Goldwater rule: why commenting on mental health from a distance is unhelpful

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2 Comments | Leave a comment
  1. MACVEL says:

    So, they cannot get rid of Trump by the Russian nonsense, so they will try to use the 25th Amendment to remove him. I am sure Dems and NeverTrumpers are looking at this closely. They do not care about US who voted for him!

  2. Maynard says:

    I suppose this is a stupid question, but why aren’t these psychologists defrocked or disbarred or whatever is done to eject unethical quacks from legitimate practice?

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