Thread by @duty2warn

1/20 Over 400 licensed medical and mental health professionals have agreed Trump shows clear signs of "probable dementia." But even more persuasive than their signatures on our petition are what they had to say. Only in this long Tweet can you read their words verbatim.
Please hear their voices! (RT)

"I am a neuropsychiatrist and movement disorders neurologist at an academic medical center. There is more than enough reason to suspect Dementia including: worsening thought process, loser connections between thoughts, tangentiality, paraphasias, irritability, paranoia, persecutory ideation, impulsivity and so on; which are clearly different than videos of him from 10 years ago. Without personally examining him, I cannot clarify further, but he appears to at least have a cautious gait. The most plausible disorder would be a mixture of frontal lobe dysfunction (sort of like frontotemporal Dementia or CTE) from a vascular Dementia."
-- Ankur Butala, M.D.

“As an experienced physician who was board certified in Family Medicine, Geriatrics, and Emergency Medicine, it is my professional opinion that Donald J. Trump is unfit for any elected office because he meets all the DSM-5 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder. In addition, recent observations clearly demonstrate deteriorating cognitive function. His public posture leaning forward when standing, his difficulty walking down a ramp, his holding his palms down on a table as if it would rise in the air, and his increasing speech difficulties are suggestive of frontotemporal dementia. Again, this is all based on public information and my years of experience.
---Thomas C. Long, M.D.

“The evidence for dementia in Donald Trump has become overwhelming. Unlike normal aging, which is characterized by forgetting names or words, Trump repeatedly shows something very different: confusion about reality. For example, he might have confused Obama with Biden once, but his repeated error indicates inability to keep track of the facts. Similarly, he recently said that he won all 50 states in the 2020 election. That is not normal aging, it’s loss of ability to think, reason, and know reality. Further, a normally aging person recognizes the mistake and corrects it. For example, Biden recently saw he’d misspoken and joked it was a “Freudian slip”. Trump doesn’t realize he is making errors because he is too demented to see them. Other obvious examples have been Trump saying that the name of the state of Pennsylvania will be changed, or that the names of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln would be deleted from buildings. That is not loss of word recall, it’s dementia. Trump has always lied, but these are examples that aren’t even part of his delusional grandiosity (like saying he had the largest crowd in history for his inauguration). These are loss of normal cognitive ability seen with dementia.
If he were to become President he would have to be immediately removed from office via the 25th amendment as dangerously unable to fulfill the responsibilities of office.
---Lance Dodes, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

“Finally, mental health professionals are turning their attention to Trump and his cognitive deficits. Some psychologists were eloquent about Trump’s malignant narcissism in 2019, but no one is talking about Trump’s dramatic decline at the podium. It’s true that Biden has an old brain, but it’s functioning well. Trump demonstrates atypical dementia onset every week.
I have extensive experience with elderly populations, and any geriatric psychologist will tell you that dementia doesn’t come on all at once. It begins to show when someone is under stress or tired, that’s why the term “sun-downing” is so descriptive. Some of the elderly are more lucid in the morning but begin to lose command of their thinking by the evening. And one evening might go better than the next as the person gradually expresses more and more cognitive dysfunction. My grave concern: we are now seeing Trump at an early, yet very troubling, stage of dementia.
I’ve seen from Donald Trump in the past six months. His speech is riddled with cognitive errors, misattributions, and odd digressions indicating a significant decline in functioning. I would strongly insist on an extensive mental health/neuropsychological assessment if one of my elderly relatives was speaking the way Trump does.
In the past few months, Republicans have accused Joe Biden of being “confused” and “incoherent,” arguing that he’s aging badly. Yet his State of the Union address disproved any of these claims – he is a high-functioning elderly president. All of this focus on Biden’s age has distracted commentators and reporters from the obvious decline in Trump’s functioning. He repeatedly states he’s running against Obama, while his speeches often give way to odd digressions that leave him and the audience bewildered. During his presidency, Trump was erratic, explosive, and prone to pathological lying. Now, it’s even more dire because he’s losing his ability to think coherently.”
--Harry Segal, Ph.D. Department of Psychology, Cornell University and Department of Psychiatry Cornell Medical School

“My name is Dr. Justin Frank. I wrote the book Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of a President in which my findings were that Trump was unfit to be president of the United States. That has already been proven in his first term in office. Now he is showing signs of dementia which are even more alarming. What they reveal is a man that has terrible impulse control, is very negative and hellbent on revenge. Not a good combination.”
--Justin Frank, M.D., Department of Psychiatry, George Washington University

“I deeply appreciate that Dr. John Gartner has started this petition that pinpoints the disturbing changes in Donald Trump’s verbal and thinking abilities. Changes that suggest illness not simply aging. It is crucial we try to inform the public about these changes and what they mean about his fitness to serve and the danger to the public.”
--Vince Greenwood, Ph.D.

“He’ll begin a sentence, and then seemingly forget how the sentence began and invent something in the middle, and then go off on a tangent that results in an incomprehensible word salad. This is behavior we observe frequently in patients who have dementia. There is clear evidence of memory impairment, rigidity, confabulation and cognitive slippage
His memory is so profoundly impaired, and he is so fixated on seeking revenge against Obama and Nancy Pelosi, that he thinks he is running against them now.
What makes this case especially unique is that he is so profoundly enabled in his demented state by his followers who are so invested in his greatness and so blind to his cognitive decline”
---Suzanne Lachmann, Psy.D.

"Phonemic paraphasia is an obvious sign of dementia.”
—Ginn Dudek, R.N.

"As an RN for the last 29 years, and with lots of mental health experience, I see this clinical evidence very clearly. These are not slips of the tongue. They are objective evidence of the dementia diagnosis.”
-- Marsha Newman, R.N.

“This is not just ‘rambling.’ Trump evidences a type of cognitive impairment seen in dementia. Symptoms like ‘word salad’ (incoherence), ‘loose associations’ (a lack of connection between ideas), impairments of memory, and language problems (mis-pronouncing words or making up words that don't exist).”
--Dr. Michael Bader, psychologist

“The news media is ignoring this as a medical issue, mistakenly declaring it political just because of the electoral context. There are an estimated 5 million people over 65 years old with dementia in the United States, who in turn affect millions of family members and other caretakers. They are familiar with the obvious signs that run the gamut of dementia that Trump flaunts, particularly impairment of language and memory, verbal aggression towards others, socially inappropriate behavior, suspiciousness, delusions, persecutory ideation, and others. All of these are well-documented deterioration from his baseline, evidenced by his decades of scripted and unscripted appearances on television. The concomitant derangement of understanding and judgment these bring make one manifestly unfit for any political office or position of responsibility.
---J. Todd Weber, MD

"When you see an individual reading from a teleprompter getting lost, slurring, mispronouncing words they say all the time, these are clear signs of cognitive decline.
—Elizabeth Reyes-Fournier, Ph.D.

"Trump is obviously showing signs of cognitive impairment."
—Anne O’Donnell, LPC

"President Trump continuously and consistently shows his inability to remember, comprehend and verbally articulate what he is reading from a teleprompter. “
-- Ikia K Young, LPC

A Joint statement submitted by a working group of psychologists who have trained and conducted neuropsychological research at the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (Names withheld upon request)
"We believe it is advisable that presidential candidates above the age of 75 submit to a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation before running for office. This policy ensures that individuals seeking this profoundly impactful position possess the cognitive and emotional capacities necessary to navigate the rigors of leadership, make sound decisions under pressure, and effectively manage the nation's affairs.
While normal aging in older adults is accompanied by certain cognitive changes, like a slowing down in processing speed, it is important to point out that these changes do not necessarily signify dementia. In fact, many aspects of cognitive function, such as vocabulary, accumulated knowledge, and wisdom, often remain stable or even improve with age. Healthy older adults in their 70s and 80s can continue to learn new skills and adapt to new situations, regardless of their age. Our observations of the current president's speech and behavior suggest his presentation fits within the parameters of normal aging
We do see several worrisome signs in the GOP candidate's cognitive presentation that are consistent with what appears to be an advancing disease process that is outside the bounds of normal aging. For the 78-year-old presidential candidate, the manifestation of phonic paraphasias, semantic aphasias, confusion, "word salads" and tangentiality raise the suspicion of an underlying neurological condition consistent with a dementia process. These symptoms, emerging in the context of substantial psychological stress from ongoing legal and financial scrutiny and obligations, along with a decrease in adoration and public influence (notably, on an international level), contribute to a complex diagnostic picture. This clinical picture is set against a backdrop of publicly displayed traits and behaviors suggestive of malignant narcissism and antisocial personality disorder, alongside increasingly paranoid and antisocial statements, and isolation. The intricate interplay of these cognitive issues and complicating psychosocial factors can be expected to underlie ongoing deterioration of the GOP candidate's cognitive and emotional well-being, based on our experience and understanding of the scientific literature.
The gravity of entrusting national leadership to someone potentially facing advanced cognitive and personality challenges must be done with the utmost of care. Individuals with dementia struggle with deficits in executive functioning (which includes problem solving and planning) and a deterioration in judgment, which would impact their ability to assess rapidly unfolding situations and understand consequences of their decisions and actions. If elected, these cognitive impairments could significantly compromise the GOP candidate's ability to choose competent cabinet members, who are crucial for ensuring balance and restraint in governance. And when combined with the marked decompensation of core personality structures that are on display in the public arena, we believe it is reasonable to state that these cognitive factors could potentially have a catastrophic impact on the nation and the world. For these reasons, we strongly recommend a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation of both candidates, which would confirm or correct our impressions."

“Every high-ranking military officer except the Commander-in-Chief is required to submit to a yearly fitness-for-duty medical exam. Biden would be smart to have full medical evaluation by a panel of experts and challenge Mr. Trump to do the same. President Biden recently demonstrated his fitness in his SOTU address, whereas Trump increasingly evidences serious symptoms of cognitive decline that cry out for a full neuropsychiatric work-up.”
--Judith Herman, M.D.

“Recent shocking video displayed what appears to be signs of a serious advancing dementia which have worsened in recent months. That will inflame his underlying psychological vulnerability to rogue rage, extreme recklessness, and impulsive and violent action. “
--Michael Tansey, Ph.D., psychologist

“President Biden’s focused, quick-witted, fact-based State of the Union address showed that while aging inevitably brings some cognitive decline such as more difficulty in word-finding, mixing up names, mild decreases in attention span, it does not impact his ability to assess, reason and function even in high-pressure situations. While in office, his predecessor routinely showed impulsivity, problems with language, and extreme difficulties in focusing and reasoning. But there has been a marked deterioration in his cognitive abilities since he lost the election in 2020. In increasingly fraught times ,it is imperative not to allow him to hold a position of power.
--Sherry Amatenstein, LCSW

“I signed the petition because I saw multiple episodes where Trump energetically either gets lost in the middle of a phrase, ending with something like hmmm, or continues a line of thought totally out of touch with reality, like confusing Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi, that itself showed no grasp of the clear reality of the situation.”
--Michael Smith M.D., MPH

"If this guy presented in my office with the symptoms we observe in his public appearances, I'd refer him at once to a neurologist for a full workup. Personally, I wouldn't write him an OK-to-return-to-work note, much less declare him fit to occupy the country's highest office."
--John Biggs, LCSW

“Behavioral Frontotemporal Dementia is marked by :
---significant personality change, inability to behave appropriately, and trouble controlling verbal outbursts, impulsive inappropriate statements, repetitive words or phrases, crudity and profanity occur like there are “no filters”.
--Impaired judgment and lack of awareness of their behavior and how it affects others shows lack of empathy. These deficits heighten underlying personality styles.
--Changes in diet such as only eating specific foods, or binging.
--Agitation and rapidly changing emotions are common.
--Changes in verbal output include reduced fluency, reduced vocabulary, impaired thought flow and inability to pronounce words. Sufferers repeat words and phrases
--Progressive Primary Aphasia is another variant. Impairment in the ability to express thoughts fluidly decreased vocabulary progress to the extreme of not being able to speak. (Aphasia).
----Changes movement results in shuffling walking or other gait problems. The Gait disturbance is related to motor cortex deterioration and at time damage to basal ganglia.
In order to make the diagnosis of dementia, a decline from previous functioning must be present. It is relevant to compare past and present functioning information provided by friends and relatives, as well as other forms of information that might be available, such as videotaped interviews, or previous examples of intellectual output. DJT’s behavior and verbal/cognitive abilities seem to have changed significantly over the past 20 years when one compares videotapes of old interviews with current interviews and public speeches.
In the case of Mr. Trump, concerns about dementia or frontotemporal dementia have been raised. Observation specific to this case include: Disinhibited behavior (mimicking a disabled man, demeaning women, uttering profanities at his rivals); frequent errors of verbal production; inability to control outbursts (i.e. in Court or during debates), confusing people (Obama for Biden, Nikki Haley for Nancy Pelosi). Forgetting part of his family when thanking them for their help. Confusing a picture of E. Jean Carroll with his ex-wife; tangential thinking where he veers sharply from one context to the next with no reason or logic; inability to finish sentences; shrunken vocabulary with many phrases repeated in a repetitive manner. (i.e. -“crooked Hilary”, Joe, Democrats etc.) These outbursts may appear out of nowhere mid-sentence. Lack of self-awareness is evident in that he seems to be unaware how inappropriate his behavior is - like avowing he is a ‘genius’ because he performed a simple cognitive test, deriding the relatives of a Gold-star veteran who died in battle, making derisive comments about women he’d have no desire for.
Somewhere along the way DJT seems to have developed a wide-based gait and swings his right leg when he walks. The etiology of this is unclear and could be injury-based and needs clarification. Finally, his father died with Alzheimer’s disease. This may be pertinent as FTD has not been well recognized in the past and there is the issue of heritability that can be resolved by genetic testing.
Many have previously commented on DJT’s narcissistic personality traits and recent comments have focused on heightened presentation of such traits (malignant narcissism) though this assumption may not take into account other areas of deficits.
Frontotemporal Dementia is not well known. As with any dementia there is a decline in functioning over time. Information provided by friends and relatives, videotaped interviews, or previous examples of intellectual output. Notably, those with FTD have no trouble with simple cognitive tests like the MMSE or MOCA. Frontotemporal dementia is a disease with multiple presentations, and it is only definitively diagnosed upon autopsy. (I encourage anyone reading this brief survey to view more in-depth description and discussion at ).
---Elisabeth Zoffmann, M.D.theaftd.org

“I am a board-certified neuropsychologist with 36 years of practice experience including forensic assessment. Due to the copious amount of behavioral data available w regard to Trump's actions, the conclusion re: malignant narcissism, against the background of frank sociopathy, is reasoned and highly likely accurate. Given his proclivity for acting only for the sake of self-interest, with disregard for others, it is also reasonable to conclude that election to ANY office, let alone the presidency, represents a clear and present danger to our democracy...for all of us.”
— John Courtney, Ph.D

”I’m a Forensic Registered Nurse and before that worked with geriatric patients in an acute care mental health setting. I’ve spent numerous hours caring for patients with dementia in all stages as well as mental health comorbidities that often make people suffering from them reckless. His situation is indeed uniquely dangerous and will affect all of us if he’s aloud to resume office. It’s my duty to join in sounding the alarm on this issue.”
—Jonathan Lauffer, FRN

“I am a retired chartered psychologist in the UK and have carefully viewed substantial samples of Donald J Trump's public behaviour covered in the mass media over the last 8 years. I concur that while a definitive diagnosis would require further testing, Trump is showing very distinctive signs strongly suggesting dementia: marked decline in verbal fluency, increasing people and generational confusion, increasing signs of disordered speech and noticeable reduction in impulse control.”
—David Stuart, Ph.D

“I'm a retired nurse who’s taken care of a fair share of dementia patients. His symptoms are classic dementia.”
—Jill Gillson, R.N.


As a social worker and psychotherapist, I have seen this before. He demonstrates a number of deeply concerning indicators of cognitive decline and both narcissistic and sociopathic behaviors that we should not allow anywhere near the highest position on political power in this country.
—Valerie Keil, MSW

“I am a retired Clinical Psychologist. My first clinical internship started in 1968 and was professionally active until 2011. That’s 43 years in the field. And I still know a pretty fair amount. Let me add a little to how long I’ve been around the human mind: I was 8 years old when I began helping my father in his Neuro-physiology lab at the U of Chicago in 1951. So when I say that I’ve seen a lot, read a ton or two, and trained with some of the best.
My wife is also a retired Clinical Psychologist. There’s just no escape in this house from knowing what is patently obvious to any qualified professional who’s worth his or her salt as a clinician, The Orange Man is declining rapidly. Top flight practitioners such as Dr. Gartner have spelled out in good detail many of the manifestations of brain disease. I would just note, because I don’t see it mentioned in that long list of signs, that a person’s vocabulary tends to hold up well even when other functions have declined a bit. I find Trump’s impoverishment in that area to be especially grave.
If we combine what is very likely to be organic impairment of cognition, with a psychopathic personality, and narcissistic mortification (which is driving his fantasies of revenge)…well, let’s just say that the great documentarian Michael Moore was quite right when he predicted that Trump in the White House “would get us all killed”—or words to that effect. Words to the wise.”
—-Armond Aserinsky, Ph.D

“As a psychologist with over 20 years of experience, I'm afraid to see a major candidate for POTUS display such clear indications of dementia (in addition to his malignant narcissism). The trouble Trump has with his memory, the challenges with his speech (pronouncing words correctly, finding the correct words, even the range of his vocabulary), and his problems with balance and walking show an increasing decline in his overall functioning. Giving someone with these problems access to top-secret materials and expecting them to make major decisions on behalf of the nation is terrifying.”
—Misty Hook, Ph.D

“I am a licensed clinical social worker with 50 years experience. It is obvious that Trump is now demonstrating cognitive deterioration on top of pre- existing personality disorder. His mental state alone, aside from political position, makes him dangerously unfit to lead this country. It appears his deterioration is proceeding rapidly and, were he to be elected, he would be incapable of assuming the position of President.”
—Diane Finn, MSW

“As a retired Clinical Psychologist I am alarmed not only by Trump’s psychopathology but his obvious cognitive decline (dementia.). He is not fit to be President.”
—-Barbara Cohen Ehrlich, Psy.D.