Recently, President Trump’s mental
health has been questioned by the media, political figures, and sections of the
public due to his recent behavior while serving his role as president. It is in
the America’s best interest to have a mentally stable President, especially since
the presidency is arguably the most stressful job in America. Not only that,
the President has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world at their disposal. With
this in mind, the international community has been anxious of Trump’s mental
state due to the turbulent times our world is currently experiences. We live in
a world plagued by terrorism, climate change, and heightened tensions between
totalitarian regimes and democratic societies. The President of the United
States of America, no matter who it is, can significantly alter the course of history
by their actions and/or behavior. That is why it is crucial to have a stable,
rational mind in charge of the most powerful country in the world.
The
point of this piece is not to debate whether or not Donald Trump is mentally
ill, but to discuss the implications and consequences of how our society stigmatizes
mental illness in our elected leaders and the general population. Regardless of
Trump’s mental state, he is heavily discouraged from openly seeking any kind of
psychological examination that could identify if he had any problems.
Hypothetically, if Donald Trump sought a psychological examination, then his
legitimacy of a political leader would be under intense scrutiny even if he had
no diagnosable problems. He would be labeled as a crazy person by his political
enemies, and every critical decision he would make post-examination would be
heavily analyzed for any influences by mental health issues. If he did have any
issues, then they could easily go undiagnosed and his mental health problems
could only increase in severity. Which could have disastrous consequences on
America’s overall foreign policy, such as if their leader makes serious and irreversible
damage to the United States’ relationships within the international community
by his actions that are beyond his mental control. This scenario can be
applicable to any elected official in America, who are expected to be unnaturally
perfect by their constituents, and if they fail to live up to these standards
are left with their careers in shambles.
Mental
health problems are arguably one of the most stigmatized medical conditions in American
society. Many people in America believe that mental health issues are not real
problems, or even worse, that they can easily be “cured” by simply “changing
people’s mindsets” about their problems. Just like politicians, your American citizen
is discouraged from discussing their mental health issues with friends and
family members in fear of the judgement that may follow if they open up on their
problems. Either they are told that they do not have “real problems,” or they
are told non-scientific “cures” that detract these people from receiving formal
treatment. That is why so many individuals across America suffer in silence from
mental illnesses without receiving the proper treatment. But our political
leaders have a role to play in the fight to destigmatize mental illnesses in
our society. For instance, since President Trump has a significant presence on Twitter,
which he could use to discuss his older brother, Frederick Trump’s, history
with alcoholism. If our elected
officials start a public discussion about their personal experiences with
mental illness, whether that be their illnesses or that of their family and
friends, then those suffering from mental illness will be inspired and
encouraged to speak out about their own issues and attempt to get help. Granted,
just having our elected officials talk about mental illness will not magically
make our society become accepting to those mentally ill, but it can lead our
society on the path of normalizing mental illness. Of course this involves risk
on the part of the politicians for speaking out on their most personal issues,
but the reward would be saving human lives, which is definitely worth the risk.
Our leaders have access to the proper outlets to spread this message of
acceptance that could fundamentally improve the lives of countless Americans across
the country.
No comments:
Post a Comment