Forensic psychiatrist on physical signs of Trump's mental decline: "Changes in movement and gait"
Forensic psychiatrist on physical signs of Trump's mental decline: "Changes in movement and gait"
"His walk appears wide-based," Dr. Elizabeth Zoffman notes of Trump. "He has developed a swing of his right leg."
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED MARCH 25, 2024 5:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) Donald Trumps obvious public challenges with speech, language, and thinking are continuing to get worse. At a recent rally in Ohio, the former president continued to act like a broken computer, going off on odd tangents, rambling, muddling his speech, and saying, Joe Biden won against Barack Hussein Obama, has anyone ever heard of him? Every swing state, Biden beat Obama but in every other state, he got killed.
....(snip)....
In an attempt to better understand what we are witnessing with Donald Trumps behavior, I recently spoke with Dr. Elizabeth Zoffman, a forensic psychiatrist and an Associate Clinical Professor of Forensic and General Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Zoffmann shares her evidence-based preliminary conclusion that Donald Trump is displaying a range of behaviors that suggest cognitive challenges if not impairment. The former president appears to be suffering from Behavioral Variant Fronto-Temporal Dementia, Dr. Zoffmann concludes, and needs to be evaluated by neurologists who specialize in the condition.
What do you see when you look at Donald Trump through a clinical lens?
My observations are garnered from viewing the phenomenon of Mr. Trump for the past decade. Also, observations from viewing old videotape interviews and coverage of Mr. Trump as a younger man form part of my impression that Mr. Trump might benefit from a thorough evaluation by a neuropsychiatrist with expertise in neurodegenerative disorders. My observations are as follows:
* Changes in speech patterns with many fewer and simpler words (decline in vocabulary) with fewer adjectives and adverbs.
....
* Changes in movement and gait. His walk appears wide-based and he has developed a swing of his right leg. He appears glued to the floor when he dances for his audience. If caught on camera standing still, he appears unnaturally immobile.
.....My clinical experience and these collected observations are congruent with the diagnostic criteria for Behavioral Variant Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD). People presenting with such a cluster of observations should undergo expert assessment. This diagnosis is often largely based on external observations and collateral reporting from others close to the person. Early in the disease, the individual may be aware of changes, but as frontal lobe deterioration progresses the capacity for self-awareness diminishes. Unlike Alzheimers Disease, people with FTD have intact short-term memory and can easily score full points on screening tests like the MMSE and MOCA. ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/03/25/forensic-psychiatrist-on-physical-signs-of-mental-decline-changes-in-movement-and-gait/
bucolic_frolic
(43,161 posts)niyad
(113,306 posts)Oopsie Daisy
(2,621 posts)🫳
🎤
lastlib
(23,233 posts)Six feet won't be deep enough for him.
Sky Jewels
(7,096 posts)PatSeg
(47,430 posts)And he repeated it!
RussBLib
(9,012 posts)Remember that bit of absurdity? Looks like that test itself was probably faked. Plus, you can't keep referring to a test you took 6 years ago as evidence for coherence today.
This article has appeared here on DU, but they didn't snip the parts below, that I recall.
Shadowing Trumps attacks on mental fitness his own fathers dementia
In the lead-up to the 2020 elections, Trumps preoccupation with mental acuity took center stage again this time, because of a test similar to the one his father had taken three decades earlier.
The Montreal test was created by Nasreddine in 1996 to look for early signs of impairment, using some similar markers, including a clock face test, to the ones that doctors used to diagnose Fred Trump Sr. a few years earlier.
In the summer of 2020, Trump appeared on Fox News to boast of his amazing performance on the test including a recitation of words he said he was asked to memorize and said in succession: Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV. (Those words would never have appeared in that order in the test, Nasreddine recently told The Post, noting that related words such as man and woman arent used in a sequence.)
If Trump has not taken the test since 2018, Nasreddine said, it would be past time to do it again, given how cognitive capability can decline exponentially as one gets older. Then, if a test showed decline, it might make sense to get further tests that could indicate whether there are signs of Alzheimers or other dementia.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/03/20/donald-trump-dementia-father-fred-alzheimers-biden/
riversedge
(70,218 posts)The Roux Comes First
(1,299 posts)Including actual "tests" and time on the links, where he did not copy from his neighbor or overtly cheat in other ways. He probably isn't capable of playing anything straight that has a duration exceeding 15 seconds, such as the tests given oldsters for mental slippage.
Quakerfriend
(5,450 posts)Additionally, I would add- This test is NEVER administered unless an individual is a nursing home type setting!
Attilatheblond
(2,168 posts)I live in my own home, drive, do my own shopping, cooking, housework, gardening, caring for pets, and some political work.
Noticing some memory issues, I mentioned my concern to my primary caregiver, and mentioned my sister, 10 years my senior, had just died with dementia. She scoffed, saying I was always lucid when we talked, but would have someone come in and give me the basic short little test.
I did fine, until the young lady giving me the 'test' asked me to repeat back the 5 words she gave me when we started the test. Told her, you forgot to give me 5 words when we started & I have been waiting for them all along. The 20 something aid said, "No, I gave them to.... oh shit, I forgot that part".
So, that test was administered to me. I am not in a nursing home. And the 20 something is the one who failed. Rest assured, I do not put much faith in the test, because I know my mental state is not as sharp as it used to be. That test is stupid and I agree it probably should not be relied on by one's primary care as the decider of whether a visit to a specialist might be in order.
ProudMNDemocrat
(16,785 posts)As the signs become more clear.
progressoid
(49,990 posts)At least politically. I doubt this makes any difference to anyone who is going to vote for him or considering voting for him.
liberal N proud
(60,334 posts)When they were calling Biden too old and having dementia, they simply were projecting Don Poorleone.
They get away with time and again. Its how republicans build their base.
ShazzieB
(16,399 posts)Dr. Zoffmann made the following observation:
According to this, Fronto Temporal Dementia would not necessarily prevent TSF from passing that test legitimately. To me this suggests the possibility that he was concerned on some level about his cognitive functioning and was greatly relieved about passing that test. That could be why he seemed to brag about it so much and didn't seem aware of how silly he sounded.
His dad had alzheimer's disease. Everyone knows that can be hereditary, and having that family medical history can really weigh on a person's mind. TSF may have felt like he dodged a bullet when he passed that test. But if Dr. Zoffmann and other experts are right, he may have dodged one bullet only to be hit by a different one. That's why he needs to be thoroughly screened, as she suggested.