THIS IS ACTUALLY A SERIOUS NEWS STORY – AT 1:20 P.M. ET:  In midsummer it's sometimes difficult to find substantive news.  At one time tabloids would push the idea of a "crime wave" to sell papers during the warm months.  Now some news organizations are a little more elegant about it.  From The Hill: 

Therapists in the U.S. say they have seen a rise in politically-related anxiety under the Trump presidency.

Though a condition has not been officially named, therapists and patients have referred to it as “Trump Anxiety Disorder,” according to a report from Canada’s CBC News.

Elisabeth LaMotte, the founder of the D.C. Counseling and Psychotherapy Center in Washington, D.C., told CBC that there is a “collective anxiety” among her patients related to President Trump’s rhetoric and policies.

"There is a fear of the world ending," she said. "It's very disorienting and constantly unsettling."

She said that Trump critics who she treats exhibit similar behavior to patients who have a parent with a personality disorder.

"Whether it's conscious or not, I think we look to the president of the United States as a psychological parent," LaMotte said.

LaMotte told CBC that the “condition” is also common among Trump supporters, who often say they feel “isolated” by friends and family for aligning with the president or pulled into angry conversations.

COMMENT:  They used to call that politics.  The rough-and-tumble of politics can get very rough indeed.  In the past, though, we didn't have an army of shrinks trying to diagnose the entire population.

People who suffer from Trump Anxiety Disorder should certainly seek help, and should also avoid voting.

July 28, 2018