What great posts from both Banjo and Paul!

Certainly much to think about.

If only, comes to mind.

I too had to once sit through a test for a job interview.
Plus an oral interview on top of the written one - in front
of an entire panel of twelve.

It was horrendous.

I got the job - but decided I really didn't want it.
Their company structure appeared to be stifling.

It ended up being a good decision. I got another job
which suited me very well. I got to work with a fantastic
ceo, from whom I learned a great deal.

Perhaps all politicians should be regularly screened
to test their psychological health and ensure that
they are mentally fit to make decisions in the national
interest.

After all politicians do face high levels of responsibility
and therefore stress.

.

I’m afraid I’m way out of my depth when it comes to psychiatry and I doubt that any of the “mad hatter” national political leaders listed in my previous post were ever examined by a psychiatrist.

Naturally, whether they were “mad hatters” or not is a matter of conjecture. The best I can do is point to a purely hypothetical diagnosis proposed by Julian Lieb, a psychiatrist and former director of the Dana Psychiatric Clinic at Yale-New Haven Hospital in the US, who co-authored with D. Jablow Hershman a book entitled “A Brotherhood of Tyrants: Manic Depression and Absolute Power”.

In this, the authors posit that manic-depressive disorder (now known as bipolar disorder) is the force that drove leaders such as Hitler and Stalin to absolute power and the terrible abuse of it. They consider that manic-depressive disorder is a hidden cause of dictatorship, mass killing and war, and argue that the psychopathology of the disorder can be a key factor in the political pathology of tyranny.

Manic-depressive or Bipolar disorder is, of course, a mental illness that can be chronic (persistent or constantly reoccurring) or episodic (occurring occasionally and at irregular intervals) which complicates its diagnosis and makes it difficult – and could also explain the apparent paradoxical behaviours described by Paul 1405 in his last post.

I tend to see this explanation as what I should qualify as an “intelligent guess”. It may be only partial. There may be more to it than just bipolar disorder and there may be other possible explanations.

In any event, it is an endeavour worth pursuing – if ever it were possible to put a would-be Hitler or Stalin on the psychiatrist’s couch.

Donald Trump, perhaps ?

.

Dear Banjo,

Trump would never agree to being put on the couch,
unless we could get a beautiful female doctor to
help get him there?

Seriously though, once again - thank you for your insights.
My hope against hope is that Trump will not win and end
up having a breakdown and have to be placed into care
where he belongs.

Wishful thinking I know.

Interesting news this morning. Trump's trial begins.
And so far they've been unable to make up a jury
due to people's prejudices that disqualifies them.

Interesting times ahead.

Hi Foxy,

In Australia get a short list of 42 jurors from a about 100 or more, give each side 15 challengers, hey presto you've got a jury of 12. I was once one of the 12, 3 months, hardly sitting in the court room, all that legal argument, then the trial was aborted due to the slow process and the untimely deliverance of evidence to the four defendants legal team, by the prosecution. In the jury room we had a mountain of daily transcript, every juror was given copies of photographic evidence etc. From the evidence the four were guilty of people trafficking and enslavement, so it seemed very early on. One big problem was the necessary use of translators. The Judge was a nice bloke. PS; The bagels etc for lunch were also very nice.