Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Rep.Karen Ross(D-Calif)in a Change.org petition,called for mental health professionals to demand a mental health evaluation of the Donald for the safety of the nation. She went on to list some of the 9 characteristics listed in the latest DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) only 5 of  which are needed for the diagnosis.Two problems bedevil such a diagnostic pronouncement. The first is that it is a matter of the degree to which these characteristics are displayed and the second is the social context in which they are displayed.

In a society which idolizes economic opportunism and  success, often in a zero sum economic & psychological context(racist and sexist to boot e.g.”The big swinging dicks” of  Wall Street ),a lot of the winners would score high on such a score , potentially earning only a moral indictment as well as not so secret envy.Nevertheless our nation’s sociopsychological experts need to be heard from,if only to explain the difficulty.Beyond that, a statement that a lack of empathy is a primary sign of one who might engender risk and one need go no further than the impassioned statement of a father(Khan} and the anguish of his wife,is in order.Thus Congresswoman Ross’s call is a request for a profiling of courage as well as a warning to the nation.