Trump derangement syndrome is an affliction of mostly the leftists in the country. TDS can be defined as a personal behavior where one views everything that Trump does as bad. For instance, if the current president discovered a cure for cancer, ended all the wars around the world, or eliminated poverty, many of our leftist brethren would find negativity in these accomplishments, insisting that he should also have cured heart disease or diabetes.

TDS has its origin with the columnist and psychiatrist, Charles Krauthammer, who coined the term Bush derangement syndrome during the George W. Bush administration. He defined the syndrome as “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies.” The term has evolved from “Obama Derangement Syndrome” (2008) and “Clinton Derangement Syndrome” (2016), resulting in today’s TDS.

According to psychologist Dr. Brad Brenner of the Therapy Group DC, TDS “is a partisan insult, not a psychiatric diagnosis” based on his review of The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Just because TDS is not listed as a disorder does not necessarily mean it does not exist. For instance, in DSM-5, the diagnosis of “gender identity disorder” was changed to “gender dysphoria” in 2013, making it a diagnosis with less of a stigma. At that time, there were no breakthroughs in treating this disorder, suggesting that the change in DSM-5 could be characterized as political in nature.

A bill in the Ohio legislature was introduced to require the National Institute of Health to study TDS concerning this toxic state of mind that has divided the country and has led to violence across the country, including assassination attempts on the current president. The research goal is to identify the basic cause and identify solutions. The Minnesota Legislature is reviewing a bill to classify TDS as a mental illness and add it to the amended statutes as a legal definition. It would be interesting to see if the definition of TDS is included in the next version of DSM if this legislation passes.

Dr. Brenner said that TDS may be taking a toll on a person’s physiology as indicated by these four characteristics. Struggling to disconnect from political news might lead to irritability, so take a step back.

Take control over what information is coming to you. For example, when scrolling through Facebook, if you pause and read about a particular topic, more content related to that subject matter will be sent to you. If you stop at a specific political page, then expect more political posts to be sent to you.

If political conversation increases another person’s anger, don’t engage. Political discussions may result in the loss of friendships with others, so Brenner advises choosing how much energy one desires to invest in these discussions.

Finally, if a person experiences headaches or trouble sleeping, these are signs that political stress is taking a toll. Brenner offers three guideposts:

• Be self-aware by noticing how you react to political discussions, such as changes in mood, a racing heart and “spiraling” thoughts.

• Manage your emotions by stepping away from the politics and doing something enjoyable like taking a walk, cooking, going for a swim – anything that brings calm to your psychological well-being.

• Talk to a psychiatrist.

Chuck Roberts is a Rochelle resident and the owner of the Roberts Armory World War II Museum.