Trump losing his mind? - Anosognosia

A Republican source inside the Trump-Pelosi meeting described attendees as “shaken” and “shell-shocked” by the President’s demeanor. “He is not in control of himself. It is all yelling and screaming.” —@jamiegangel reports pic.twitter.com/OMxR0o7sTX — Josh Campbell (@joshscampbell) October 17, 2019

The fallout from Trump's meeting with Pelosi has taken a new turn. The story from Republican sources present is that Trump was screaming uncontrollably after Pelosi commented that 'all roads in Syria lead to Russia'. Reports from his own camp now suggest he was acting completely out of his mind.

Wild outbursts, erratic behavior, and bizarre fixations are now a daily event for Trump.

Aids to Trump say his mood changes from one minute to the next based on some headline or tweet. He becomes fixated on his false claims, for example that Hurricane Dorian was going to hit Alabama. He railed against the media for fact-checking him on the clearly false claim. As Hurricane Dorian made its way to the US, Trump took breaks in between golfing to post more than 120 tweets. "this nonsense has never happened to another President. Four days of corrupt reporting, still without an apology." ANYTHING that contradicts his view is called 'false news'. Trump becomes aggressive and belligerent when his statements are questioned.

The term anosognosia refers to a person with acute mental illness who may not be making a conscious choice. They may instead be experiencing 'lack of insight' or 'lack of awareness.' Anosognosia is Greek meaning “to not know a disease.” Early studies of anosognosia indicated that 30% of people with schizophrenia and 20% of people with bipolar disorder experienced 'severe' lack of awareness. For a person with anosognosia, this inaccurate insight feels real and is completely convincing.

Trump's most-repeated claims tend to become  more exaggerated over time. The often repeated story that a top general complained about a lack of bullets is patently ridiculous. Perhaps the most troubling rationale is one that he used in Texas yesterday ... he’s not crazy; anyone who doubts him is. His supporters just need to recognize the madness of his enemies, and then everything he says will make perfect sense. Trump made at least 26 false claims in his 87-minute speech in Dallas, including a declaration that Texas had somehow profited "billions and billions" from Hurricane Harvey in 2017.