Understanding Trump’s Impact: Is TDS Mass Hysteria?

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., recently suggested that Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) might be real. He even considered assigning it an ICD code. Although his comment was partly humorous, the idea highlights the division Trump has caused among Americans.

Kennedy is not alone in this view. Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert claims 75% of his liberal clients in Manhattan show signs of TDS. He describes it as a major pathology, with symptoms like obsession and trauma over Trump.

“It doesn’t take long for me to pick up on this: People are obsessed with Trump. They’re fixated,” Alpert told Fox News. “And they talk about some of the features of this disorder. They can’t sleep. They feel traumatized by Mr. Trump. They feel restless.”

While Kennedy and Alpert acknowledge TDS’s existence, they miss labeling it as a personal mental disorder. It’s more like mass hysteria, not solvable with therapy but needing systemic change. Media influences, similar to those affecting gender identity discussions, drive this hysteria. This phenomenon doesn’t reside within individuals alone but is reinforced externally.

Consider these indicators of mass hysteria:

• Belief in a triggering idea
• Lack of underlying conditions causing symptoms
• Unusual behavior not typical of affected individuals
• Fear of exaggerated or nonexistent threats

The fear of Trump, fueled by media, is viewed irrationally by many. He is depicted widely as a threat, shaping public perception through various media outlets, including news and entertainment programs.

The term ‘bogeyman’ historically described figures like Napoleon Bonaparte, used to scare children. In this context, grown adults see Trump as a similar threat, affecting personal relationships due to political differences.

Articles and social media often normalize breaking ties with Trump supporters, portraying it as a moral obligation. Analysis suggests affluent, educated White women are shifting left politically, influenced by this media-driven hysteria.

Addressing TDS requires tackling its media roots, which thrive on dividing narratives. Over time, mass hysteria incidents like the dancing plague or Salem Witch Trials subsided. TDS, too, might end, but its resolution depends on overcoming media-induced hysteria first. Until then, relationships will continue to suffer.