I think Bush really IS a psychopath - what do you think?

[Target_For_Exterm]

Here's the diagnostic criteria from Wiki:

"This is a clinical rating scale with 20 items. Each of the items in the PCL-R is scored on a three-point (0, 1, 2) scale according to specific criteria through file information and a semi-structured interview. A value of 0 is assigned if the item does not apply, 1 if it applies somewhat, and 2 if it fully applies. The items are as follows:

Glibness/superficial charm
Grandiose sense of self-worth
Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
Pathological lying
Conning/manipulative
Lack of remorse or guilt
Shallow affect
Callous/lack of empathy
Parasitic lifestyle
Poor behavioral controls
Promiscuous sexual behavior
Early behavioral problems
Lack of realistic, long-term goals
Impulsivity
Irresponsibility
Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
Many short-term marital relationships
Juvenile delinquency
Revocation of conditional release
Criminal versatility
The items are then summed in order to obtain a total score. The cutoff for psychopathy is 30 points or greater (25 in some studies)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy_Checklist-Revised_%28PCL-R%29

He has narcissitic personality disorder for certain, but I think he fits the criteria for psychopathy as well. I've never seen anyone so lacking in empathy for others. He certainly has a propensity for lawbreaking, and his irresponsibility was proven in the aftermath of Katrina.

How does it feel to have a psychopath in the White House?

:scared:

[ChairmanAgnostic]

1. I count 37 for the boy who would be king.

What's your count for him?

[Target_For_Exterm]

3. He clears 30 with ease - psychopath city.

[lvx35]

2. parasitic lifestyle is for sure...

but that pretty much applies to all republicans, living of the sweat of the working and middle classes.

[demosincebirth]

4. I think he is a sociopath

Sending young men to die in Iraq and not have one bit of remorse.

[Warpy]

5. 30 easily, even if I were inclined to be generous, which I'm not.

It's hard to know where the underlying personality begins and damage from both alcohol and a toxic family with a bizarre sense of entitlement leave off.

Offhand, I'd say that whole family just aint right.

[selfdestructive]

6. i scored a 13

and i know where you all live suckahs

[Kelly Rupert]

9. Well, that means you're perfectly normal n/t

[selfdestructive]

13. i had one of my other personalitys conduct the interview so...

rest assured it's on the up and up.
i'll be visiting you all individually for tea and krumpets.

[buddysmellgood]

7. I didn't know there was a debate.

[Kelly Rupert]

8. You know, I came in this thread thinking

"no, Jesus, I've had it with the goddamn hyperbole."

Upon further research, I'm starting to think narcissistic personality disorder actually may hold. It's hard to tell since he's a politician, of course, but I'm actually mildly convinced.

[TahitiNut]

11. Yes, it initially sounds like hyperbole. Each person needs to come to this

... conclusion on their own after actually assessing the objective criteria. The fact that it sounds like hyperbole (like calling this regime fascist) creates an inherent resistance to accepting it. That's what's scary ... "wolf!" sounds like hyperbole.

[TahitiNut]

10. Narcissistic personality disorder with strong sociopathic influences.

At least five of the following are necessary for a diagnosis:

1. has a grandiose sense of self-importance
2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
3. believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by other special people
4. requires excessive admiration
5. strong sense of entitlement
6. takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
7. lacks empathy
8. is often envious or believes others are envious of him or her
9. arrogant affect.


Factor 1: Aggressive narcissism

* Glibness/superficial charm
* Grandiose sense of self-worth
* Pathological lying
* Conning/manipulative
* Lack of remorse or guilt
* Shallow affect
* Callous/lack of empathy
* Failure to accept responsibility for own actions



All this DOES qualify as psychopathy ... but it's not effectively treatable. That's why I place him firmly on the Axis-II side.

[pnwmom]

20. "Aggressive narcissism." That fits him to a T.

But I'm not up on the lingo. What do you mean by your last sentence?

[TahitiNut]

34. The DSM-IV categorizes mental disorders along two axes ...

... and those axes generally differentiate between disorders that are typically treatable, have a recent onset, and appear to have physiological/chemical associations and those disorders that are developmental, long-term, and are characterized by a moral/ethical value and how the person views the 'world' around them ... i.e. cognition and perspective. The Axis-II disorders are generally regarded as 'personality' disorders of the latter kind. It's about how we relate to one another and view ourselves, and the choices we make in doing so. It's nearly impossible to discuss Axis-II disorders without making moral or ethical value judgments - something that makes it difficult to call it entirely 'empirical'. Axis-I disorders are far easier to assess objectively.

But the DSM-IV is but one of the accepted approaches to organizing psychological diagnostics. The OM discussion of psychopathy exists independent of the DSM-IV and the manner of classifying overlaps.


Disclaimer: I am NOT a mental health professional or paraprofessional. My understanding is based solely on the casual comprehensions I've built along the way in my life, having had some counseling myself for episodes of depression and stress-related reactions. (To some extent, I cynically regard sanity as over-rated.) The extent of my academic training in psychology is a handful of credit hours in lower division undergraduate courses.

[southerncrone]

12. It feels like our country & society are in terrible shape, but

most of us at DU knew this long ago. The aspect I find scariest is that a large group in this country could not recognize he was psychologically imbalanced when hearing him speak on any given occasion. To see this creature & not realize there is "no substance" to him, tells me that our population is in an extremely severe state of denial.... or a bunch of mindless lemmings. Neither possibility is comforting.
For too long now, "good men have done nothing", the US citizens MUST become citizens again and take responsibility for our nation. These neocons have been able to operate in this country for the last 27 years or longer, because good citizens feel like they are not worthy enough to participate in the process. The vote scamming reinforces those beliefs. The apathy in this country allowed neocons free rein and they had the $ to propel themselves into power, then change laws & make critical appointments to ensure they remained entrenched in power. This is why NOV. 7, 2006 is an important date in US history, it is our window of opportunity to crack the stronghold they have on our system.
We must enlist our neighbors in the fight to save our freedom. Educating the electorate should be a major goal for the future, otherwise we won't have one.
:patriot:

[OneBlueSky]

14. don't know the clinical diagnosis . . . I just know that he's nuts . . . n/t

.

[TahitiNut]

15. (cough) Uhmmm... that's demeaning to us nuts. (And our allies, the fruits.)

:dunce:

[OneBlueSky]

16. my apologies . . . he's batshit (no disrespect meant to bats) . . . n/t

.

[flyarm]

17. You've got my vote!! n/t

[pnwmom]

18. So all of us nerdy, tongue tied, socially awkward, guilt-ridden geeks

can comfort ourselves with the idea that at least we're not psychopaths. That's good.

I totally agree with you that he's a narcissist. Full-blown, a textbook case. Unfortunately, everything in his real life contributes to his sense of grandiosity.

And I'm tempted to agree with you about his sociopathic tendencies -- although I can't be sure whether he's always lying or just disconnected from reality.

[leftofthedial]

19. he's a sick miserable little fuck

Poppy should have pulled out (of Babs)

[timtom]

21. Unquestionably!

I don't mean to be smug, but I've had no doubt ever since I found out about the Karla Faye Tucker occurrence. (2001 or so)

[cassiepriam]

22. A complex clinical picture

Several severe personality disorders:
Narcissism, Antisocial, with psychotic features.
Rule out Histrionic PD.

Concurrent mood disorder, depression, rule out bi polar.

Substance use, abuse, and dependence. By history, alcohol and cocaine. Rule out current use of alcohol and prescription drugs.

Rule out Delusional disorder, Grandiose Type.

Dementia symptoms: Dementia Due to Other General Medical Conditions
and or substance abuse induced. Rule out vascular etiology.

[rock]

23. Clinically, I can't say

But personally, I believe he is of extremely low intelligence.

[Kelly Rupert]

29. I don't think he's that dumb.

I think he's mostly ignorant and incurious. I think his raw intelligence probably isn't that bad; he just doesn't care to know anything that might make his world more complex than it has to be. I think it's more "won't learn" than "can't learn."

[rock]

30. I certainly don't object to that way of putting it

He behaves as if he doesn't have a lick of sense. He may be at smarter than I think but as long as he doesn't act like it, I'll just think of him as dumb.

[Kelly Rupert]

31. Stupid is as stupid does, so they say. n/t

[npincus]

24. B*sh probably has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome...

I posted a long time ago on this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=1812982




All kinds of psychiatric disorders are associated with FAS.

[mod mom]

25. Anyone who sticks firecrackers up the butts of frogs for fun is mentally deranged!

[Kelly Rupert]

26. I wonder if he was a bedwetter or pyromaniac? n/t

[mod mom]

27. What does bed wetting have to do w anything. My husband, his father and

my daughter were all bed wetters and are normal, empathetic, loving individuals.

[Kelly Rupert]

28. On its own? Nothing. In conjunction with the others? Everything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacDonald_triad

[Poiuyt]

32. Read "Bush on the Couch"

A renowned Washington, DC-based psychoanalyst examines George W. Bush's public persona-and asks serious questions about whether he is fit for the office he holds.

In Bush On the Couch, Dr. Justin Frank, a renowned Washington, DC-based psychoanalyst, assembles a comprehensive psychological profile of President George W. Bush. Using the principles of Applied Psychoanalysis, the discipline of psychoanalysing public and historical figure pioneered by Freud, Frank fearlessly builds his case, which concludes with a most disturbing diagnosis. With an eye for the subtleties of human behaviour sharpened through thirty years of clinical practice, Dr. Frank traces the development of Bush's character from childhood to present day, identifying and analysing Bush's patterns of thought, behaviour and communication. A thorough and authoritative examination of Bush's public appearances and speeches, along with historical, biographical, and journalistic records, Bush On the Couch is a compelling portrait of George W. Bush, filled with controversial and disturbing revelations about our nation's leader:

. the scion of a powerful family that failed to nurture its first-born son even as it instilled within him a false sense of omnipotence
. an individual in the grip of anxieties that require a monumental effort to manage
. an untreated alcoholic supported by a nation of enablers
. a rigid thinker with a perilously simplistic worldview
. and a megalomaniacal leader driven to invent adversaries so he can destroy them

Insightful and accessible, courageous and controversial, Bush On the Couch sheds startling new light on the Bush psyche and its impact on the way he governs, tackling head-on the question no one seems willing to ask: Is the president psychologically fit to run the country.

http://www.amazon.com/Bush-Couch-Inside-Mind-President/dp/B00076F0M0/sr=8-1/qid=1165245976/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3663871-0669400?ie=UTF8&s=books

[mwb970]

33. There's definitely something wrong with him.

Whatever it is, it produced a visceral dislike for him in me the first time I heard him speak. He gives me the creeps. It's even worse now.

300,000,000 people in America and we choose this guy to "lead" us for 8 years? We really are dumb. No wonder Gwyneth Paltrow likes it better in England.