Mental illness a possible off ramp for Trump to avoid criminal charges

A recent book, entitled “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump” was written by 27 mental health professionals, and it established clearly that Trump is considered mentally ill. Although there was some variation in the name of his disorder, they concurred that he is likely afflicted with the “narcissistic personality disorder,” or “toxic narcissism.”

Although such a disorder ranges in severity from mild “hedonism” to a major illness, Trump clearly reaches the extreme level of this malady that contains, among others, a toxic mix of grandiosity, impulsivity, mania, poor judgment, paranoia, and contempt for the law. The authors also added the possibility of early Alzheimer's disease. They all agreed that one possessing such combined mental distortions should not occupy a leadership position, which would present a danger to this nation. Since, none of the author/experts had personally examined Trump, they were ethically restricted from clearly defining the nature and severity of his mental illness, leaving this issue debatable.

According to the textbook definition, criminal insanity refers to any mental illness or disease that makes it impossible for defendants to know they were committing a crime or to understand that their actions are wrong. A defendant found to be criminally insane can assert this defense, which requires the submission of supporting evidence and some form of a psychological evaluation. In other words, defendants cannot be judged guilty if they possess a mental illness that prevents their distinction between right and wrong.

To establish the nature of Trump's illness, this would require a direct psychiatric evaluation, and, because of this illness, he would be unlikely to voluntarily submit to such an examination. However, anyone who follows his case, even superficially, can clearly judge that he is mentally compromised as manifested by repeated lying, grifting, and other transgressions. Whether he can acknowledge to himself that any of this behavior was wrong or illegal could possibly be established through a thorough psychiatric evaluation. I suspect that he clearly believes that he did nothing wrong or illegal, which would increase his chances for a legal insanity defense.

Under the pressure of a possible prison sentence, Trump might allow himself to be subjected to a psychiatric evaluation, and if it were established that he is truly unable to distinguish right from wrong, he could get off Scot free and avoid prison. In the process, this would render him unqualified to hold any elected office (already known by many).

I believe this latter outcome would be the most merciful for both Trump and the nation alike!

Morton Tavel, M.D., of Fort Myers is Clinical professor emeritus, Indiana University School of Medicine.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Mental illness possible off ramp for Trump to avoid criminal charges