Dear friends,
Sometimes, it appears that we are watching the toll of serious mental illness in real time.
There is, of course, the troubling behavior of the former president. His recent post on Truth Social called for “the Presidential Election Results of 2020 [to be thrown] OUT” so that the “RIGHTFUL WINNER” can be installed. He went on, of course:
“A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution.”
Heather Cox Richardson called
Trump’s profound attack on the Constitution, the basis of our democratic government. . .earth shattering.
And it is, when we think of it in political and historical terms. It is possible, however, to look at this as the grandiose rant of very unwell mind. And that is upsetting in a different way.
Plenty of folks have discussed Trump’s personality (his “relentless reward-seeking,” rudeness, and lack of empathy), and some have speculated about a personality disorder, though Trump has never been diagnosed.
But it appears that we are watching a man who is cornered, lacking internal resources, friendship, and love. It’s terrible to see.
Herschel Walker, who acknowledges his diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder, occasionally uses it to explain some of his erratic behavior. Other times, he tells a story of being “saved by grace.”
Despite the fact that Walker’s Senate race is one of the closest and most consequential in the nation, his DID diagnosis seldom gets more than a brief mention in media reports. Experts have largely avoided commenting publicly on Walker’s mental health, or on whether it would impact his ability to carry out the high-stress, high-profile job of serving as a United States senator.
“Since the last time I was here, Mr. Walker has been talking about issues of great importance to the people of Georgia, like whether it’s better to be a vampire or a werewolf,” Obama said. “This is a debate that I must confess I once had myself … when I was seven.”
Walker felt it necessary to comment on Obama’s joke during an appearance on Fox News; he thought that Obama had missed his point. Walker seems to be fragile, and is running for public office at the behest of a ‘friend’ who does not have his well-being at heart.
And then, there’s Kanye. His recent manic episodes have been deeply disturbing on so many levels.
Trump, Walker, and West are all public figures with considerable financial resources. And still they do not appear to be getting appropriate care.
The HALT legislation was passed in response to the alarming numbers of people who have been sent to solitary, including hundreds of people
with the highest levels of mental health care needs.
The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) has been renewing temporary policies without public scrutiny.
Call on Governor Hochul to enforce HALT Solitary Confinement Act to prevent continued violations in state prisons.
Council member Tiffany Cabán recently remarked that Mayor Adams correctly identified the crisis of people with serious mental illness who cannot care for themselves, as well as the deeper issue — the absence of a continuum of care.
But Cabán noted that the Mayor’s recent proposal to deploy teams to remove people from the streets and commit them to hospitals, with or without their consent, does not address the root problem he identified.
In a recent newsletter to constituents, Cabán pointed out that:
we already have a promising model that we should strengthen and expand. The B-Heard pilot program, which operates in just a few neighborhoods in the city, dispatches an EMT paramedic alongside a mental health professional from NYC Health + Hospitals as first responders to people experiencing a mental health emergency.
Urge your council member to support an expansion of B-Heard.
Living with small animals seems to relieve loneliness and anxiety in many people. Lots of folks got pets for this reason during the pandemic. But animals are living things, and should not be treated as a consumer product.
Among the bills passed in the last legislative session that are yet to be signed is one that would prevent pet stores from selling puppies, kittens and baby rabbits. Animal welfare advocates have rallied around this bill as a way of preventing the state from allowing the sale of animals raised in unsanitary and unscrupulous puppy mills.
Call on Governor Hochul to sign the bill to prohibiting pet stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits who are bred in unsanitary facilities. This action is from Voters for Animal Rights.
Young people are bearing the brunt of our national mental health crisis. Schools have documented the spiking demand for mental health services and are also struggling to find enough mental health professionals to hire, even when they have the funds they need to do so.
My own experience with middle schoolers suggests that there is a smaller but still significant percentage of younger teens who are plagued by climate anxiety.
Today’s the last day to mail in letters to state legislators from children calling for climate action! Action is a remedy for anxiety.
Another source of stress for young people arises because gender affirming is care under threat. Educate yourself on this issue!
Read Lena’s post on gender-affirming care and cis-centrist fear-mongering.
Take care of yourself and look out for the folks around you.
with love,
L