Bush's mental, developmental, and cognitive deficits..Reasons why he must go.

George Bush is dangerously mentally ill, and would be found to be so by any competent mental health professional. If he were required to submit to a mental status exam and, in addition, a battery of psychological tests, that determination would almost certainly be made. There would be multiple diagnoses, I 'm sure, but the critical one would be Sociopathy, IMO. This is a condition which is NOT amenable to treatment, for all practical purposes, and has the greatest potential for danger to others.

One could fill an entire page with a listing of the behavioral indicators of the above, aside from what testing would show.

In addition, I think our pResident is operating at a much earlier stage of psychological development, as indicated, among other things, by his little "hissy fits" and various other recalcitrant behaviors, not-so-cleverly framed as being steadfast in the face of danger. I think his behavior is pre-pubescent. This tells me that he is likely to respond to the complex and, "dire," state in which we currently find ourselves with the problem-solving ability of a 9-12 year old. A truly terrifying prospect!

Regarding his developmental stage, there's a mannerism that he displays that's very unsettling to me. It's where he turns his head, hunches up his shoulders and appears to be giggling. It's very discordant, I think, because it's a mannerism that you often see in children, but not adults. Here's a link to a photo. It's not the most telling. There are others I've seen that are more descriptive. This is just my opinion. I'd welcome other's input on this.




In terms of his cognitive deficits, there's not much I can say that DUers haven't already observed. Bush's utterances (those not scripted) are wooden, concrete and repetitive. I have yet to find anything to show that he is capable of any higher-order thinking skills. This is tragic, given the problems we're facing in the Middle East.

While writing this, I referenced a copy of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, which categorizes the level of abstraction of one's cognitive abilities. I confess that I was shocked to find that I can't even reliably place Bush on the most basic level, which is Knowledge.

Observation and recall of information? Knowledge of dates, events, places? Knowledge of major ideas? Mastery of subject matter? OMG! We are in even worse trouble than I thought!

I would like to suggest an experiment. President Bush is scheduled to be interviewed on 60 Minutes on Sunday evening. Go to Google and print out a copy of Bloom's Taxonomy. Then watch the interview and see where you can, objectively, place the pResident on that scale. I strongly urge you to sit down before you attempt this.

Whatever the reason for Bush's cognitive deficits - low IQ, dementia brought on by alcohol and drug use, or other factors one could name - the fact remains that this is an untenable situation. Shouldn't we require that our president be smarter than we are? Or, if you want to set the bar even lower, shouldn't we expect her or him to be as smart ?

Any of the issues I've addressed, above, should be reason to question whether Bush should remain in office one more day. Someone has got to put these issues on the table and determine whether our unelected President should be removed because of his inability to govern.

One final thought: I know that George Bush is only a sock puppet. Cheney and others, unnamed or unknown, are pulling most of the strings. But as things stand right now, we have to filter our meager attempts at sanity through the miasma that is George Bush's psyche. A monumental, and probably feckless, undertaking.

More importantly, I have the frightening feeling that our Dear Leader may have recently wrested control of this Bus-to-Hell, with its unwilling passengers (us) from his puppeteers, who might be depended on, at the very least, not to blow the entire planet to dust, if only for selfish greed and profit. Bush, however, only knows how to apply the accelerator, not the brake. So the Boy drives merrily along with no thought to the approaching cliff, deaf to the screams of his helpless passengers. God help us all! Yee-haw!

he did`t get past the second step into response. never heard of this but the short time i`ve read about this bush should have some one watching him

if you've read "Life in the Emerald City" you'll note that people are chosen to head up agencies for their political affiliation, not for their relevant skills.

Actually, we knew that already. I forgot about "heck'uva job Brownie".

Other than the given reponse of "George Bush Don't Like Black People"

or has narcissistic personality disorder. Add religious insanity and megalomania to the list for good measure. There can be no question that Chimpolini is dangerously mentally unbalanced. Read Dr. Justin Frank's "Bush on the Couch" if you want to really scare yourself.

You seriously hit the nail on the head. Hey, you might enjoy my journal; I have equipped it with a LOT of pictures of his delusional modes!

I think that his horrorshow mom was hitting the sauce is as likely an explanation as any of why Dubya not only behaves off-kilter, but looks off-kilter too. Who does this pic resemble?:

I've read plenty of evidence that George Herbert Walker and Barbara were incredibly callous as parents. They didn't inform 7-year-old Georgie that his younger sister was deadly sick with leukemia until after she died - and then they went golfing the day after she died and gave her no funeral!

finds the intensity of hate in your "beautiful-mind", "relocation-to-the-astrodome-is-a-step-up-for-these-people" Mom an admirable quality, you're guaranteed a lifetime of psychic baggage, nevermind the Tanqeray Gin baths she gave you while you were in utero.

I'm very interested in that thin upper lip thing. I've remarked on how many Repubs don't seem to have any lips. What was the source of the photo?

http://www.uwec.edu/piercech/FAS/FAS...htm

The classic sign is a missing filtrum (I think that's what it's called; that's the little ridge between your nose and upper lip).

Also, FAS doesn't show up until you have massive prenatal alcohol exposure, not just "hitting the sauce" on occasion.

However, that doesn't rule out FAE (fetal alcohol effect) or more subtle effects of prenatal alcohol exposure. I'm just saying it's not FAS.

And I'm not as certain that he is as much as you are certain that he isn't. Note that I said it is "as likely" an explanation as any. The article you've posted shows that it's a spectrum disorder, with a range of fetal damage, depending on circumstance and exposure. You're positive then, that Babs could not have been an afternoon lush? Mom doesn't have to be a falling-down drunk before her kid is impaired. And with fetal development being so rapid, each stage can be critically affected with a timely infusion of alcohol. From your article:

Note: Facial characteristics may not be as apparent immediately after birth or during adolescence or adulthood as they are between the ages of two and ten. Facial characteristics may not be present at all if the mother did not drink during the brief period that the midface was forming - around the 20th day of pregnancy.

You'll also note that the symptoms of neurological damage listed fit our Boy King to a tee.

vouch for the scientific validity of any of the text.

I know about the rapidity of fetal development; I have a doctorate in maternal and child health and I lecture on teratogenesis. The links between prenatal alcohol exposure and developmental impact are not a simple cause/effect relationship (especially when you're talking about exposures in the more "normative" range). It's very complicated. I'm really not in the mood to go into an in depth discussion of why/how right now. But, Bush doesn't have FAS. He's a crazy son of a bitch and there's plenty of dysfunction in his family to support its genesis without grasping at straws like FAS.

Yes, of course I understand that there isn't a one-to-one correlative effect of x amount of alcohol imbibed to y amount of fetal damage. What I don't understand is your insistance that Babs' consumption was necessarily in the "normative" range and your resistance to FAS as explanation for Dubya's behavior. I'm not "grasping at straws", though I'll surely cop to speculation beyond my expertise, but I'm not making excuses for the fuckwit or the bent impulses in his family's dynamic. What makes you positive that his wretched mom didn't subsist on a diet of alcohol and pharmaceuticals, as was all too common in the 40s and 50s?

There is no need to resort to fetal damage when there is ample cause within his childhood and "adulthood" (quotes because I don't think he ever matured to a level that one would call adult).

impairments that you would think of as belonging to someone with FAS.

I am just a layperson.

However here's one caveat - apparently he was quite bright until the early 1990's -
even Republicans who have written about this mention that say in 1990, Bush could still put together
full sentences while under pressure, something he certainly could not do by 1995.

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

If you Google search terms for FAS and thin lip + philtrum, you'll find that they're recognized indications for the disorder.

http://www.google.com/search?num=20&q=%22fetal%20alcohol%20syndrome%22%20thin%20lip%20philtrum

He doesn't have the classic look. No where near.

appearance of FAE. Very long, smooth philtrum, thin upper lip, low-set funky-looking ears.

If you're arguing FAE, then you can't use the thin upper lip and set of his ears as evidence.

Sorry, there are lots of things about Bush that indicate he's nuts without looking to FAS as an excuse. He doesn't fit the profile in any way.

He probably was exposed to a little alcohol in the womb, but the pretzeldent does not have the facial features of fetal alcohol syndrome. Sure, he's an ugly creep with mental defects, but, he doesn't look FAS.

I have a friend, an independently licensed clinical social worker, who says Bush DOES NOT have FAS.

I asked her about this a year ago, when the FAS issue was raging on this board. She said definitely not.

Just sayin'..

Thank you.

Sorry, FAS isn't passed down that way.

I'VE got a thin upper lip.

So does my dad.

a flattened face, small chin, and a small head?

But that picture doesn't say anything about any of those things...

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome has a classic "look".
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Resources/GraphicsGallery/FetalAlcoholSyndrome/FetalAlcohol.htm

of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Many of my students are FAS and I am quite familiar with its signs.

Not in the picture that you posted but most of the time the man has a frown on when he smiles! I know of some people who have the same facial feature but I wonder if it means the person is angry on the inside.

http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Helpline1/Tardive_Dyskinesia.htm

What is Tardive Dyskinesia?

Tardive Dyskinesia, or TD, is one of the muscular side effects of anti-psychotic drugs, especially the older generation like haloperidol. TD does not occur until after many months or years of taking antipsychotic drugs, unlike akathisia (restlessness), dystonia (sudden and painful muscle stiffness) and Parkinsonism (tremors and slowing down of all body muscles), which can occur within hours to days of taking an antipsychotic drug. TD is primarily characterized by random movements in the tongue, lips or jaw as well as facial grimacing, movements of arms, legs, fingers and toes, or even swaying movements of the trunk or hips. TD can be quite embarrassing to the affected patient when in public. The movements disappear during sleep. They can be mild, moderate or severe.

How does an individual get TD?

Essentially, prolonged exposure to antipsychotic treatment (which is necessary for many persons who have chronic schizophrenia) is the major reason that TD occurs in an individual. Some persons get it sooner than others. The risk factors that increase the chances of developing TD are a) duration of exposure to antipsychotics (especially the older generation), b) older age, c) post-menopausal females, d) alcoholism and substance abuse, e) mental retardation and f) experiencing a lot of EPS in the acute stage of antipsychotic therapy.

The mechanism of TD is still unknown despite extensive research. However, it is generally believed that long-term blocking of dopamine D2 receptors (which is what all antipsychotics on the market do) causes an increase in the number of D2 receptors in the striated region of the brain (which controls muscle coordination). This "up-regulation" of D2 receptors may cause spontaneous and random muscle contractions or movements throughout the body, but particularly in the peri-oral and facial muscles.

How many individuals currently have TD?

It is not known how many individuals currently have TD. No large scale epidemiological prevalence survey has been done. It would also change because TD can be transient or persistent, and it can be more common in some persons with risk factors than others.

However, there have been several follow-up studies of individuals who start taking antipsychotics in order to measure the annual occurrence (incidence) of TD. Eight studies in young individuals (average age 29 years) receiving the older antipsychotics showed practically the same rate of 5% of those persons develop TD every year, year after year, until eventually almost 50-60% develop TD over their lifetime. ....

http://www.nami.org/Content/ContentGroups/Helpline1/Tardive_Dyskinesia.htm

Cheney will keep him under control.

Seriously, though, this is a really good post. Bush is really damaged. And it is a scary thought that he could keep leading us right down the path to global catastrophe.

...it is clear now that we must collectively hound the Congress to face this issue. Nothing but the future of the planet depends on it.

We can't wait for the wheels of impeachment to grind on, even if we could get them started. We need to become very vocal in our demands for resignation NOW!!!!

We're on the Caine, folks, and Captain Queeg has got to go.

Consider this while watching the interview tomorrow night.




http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis1/p21-pe07.html

a petulant child.

I think that's what creeps so many people out. And they can't put their finger on it. But when you see behavior in a 60 year old that's more appropriate to one who's 12, it's really unsettling.

excellent psychiatrist. I ask him, just by observing his behavior, if he thought B**h had mental problems. He said he believed he did have several overlapping personality disorders and most likely brain damage (more accurately, thought process dysfunction) due to alcohol & drug abuse.

He said he was definitely a fanatic..not in the religious sense as most people believe, but in every other way. He said religion was used to accomplish a goal...B**H does not appear to be a true religious person in any sense.

(Not his exact words, but close....he used medical terms I looked up later.)

I'm very inclined to believe my friend is on the mark. Partly, because most of us see the same thing and professionally, he has been called on for some major criminal competency hearings.

Check out all the different theasaurus enteries for Zealot. i.e. addict, agitator, bigot, fanatic, fiend, freak, nut, partisn, sectarian...

http://thesaurus.reference.com/search?q=zealot&start=11

I'm mainly thinking of his fellow GOP cohorts. They must think he's perfectly "normal" because they've followed him in lock-step so often, as has the media.

I'll post this link to a film comparing his public speaking ability when he was governor of Texas and more recently. He used to be fairly smooth and well-spoken, never mind his politics and sociopathic personallity. Now he can hardly speak a coherent sentence and looks by turns like a giggling, posturing manic lunatic and a spaced-out deer-in-the-headlines blank.

As you'll see in this film comparison over time, his mental ability is deteriorating:
http://www.adbuzz.com/bushbuzz.htm

His lack of empathy and conscience suggest sociopathy, but in addition to this, his ability to reason and speak is clearly subnormal and dropping. The film suggests some form of presenile dementia. Whatever caused it, it's getting worse. He also seems increasingly delusional, which could bring on World War III. He's certainly trying for it.

How ANYONE could truly watch and listen to this man and still believe he is sincere, let alone right, let alone wise and knowing, is beyond me. I conclude his fans are more brainless than he is or else using his policies for their own destructive, greedy goals.

Seems to be a marked difference in the George W who has to face the cameras and
the press, or the general public, and George W when he is at an all-friendly
gathering.

I have seen even recent film of him at such a gathering, and he appears much younger,
able to talk coherently etc.

Maybe stress adds to the problems he faces mentally.

I use Bloom's taxonomy to help construct rubrics for research papers, essays, and speeches and thus I have noticed what you say: that he is not even proficient on the most basic level--knowledge. What is this Social Security thing, anyway--some kind of federal program? Yes. Astonishing that he does not even have a command of the most basic facts.

I don't know if you've read the impressions of him that were written up by one of his college professors, but it is at Salon and could easily be found using the search engine. That interview will reveal that bush relies on immature tactics to deal with his lack of ability to engage in the intellectual arena. His professor noted that when found deficient by his colleagues in the classroom, bush would start rumors about those who rebuked or embarrassed him. Whispering campaigns.

What is uniquely bad about bush is that not only is he cognitively impaired, he is emotionally immature. Combine this with being evil (as described by M. Scott Peck) and you have someone who is indeed capable of messing up the world beyond repair.

The fact that he made it this far is cause for a serious examination of our systems and what is so wrong that an individual like this made it to the U.S. presidency.

What is even more appalling is that it does not appear that our senators and representatives understand how important it is that they act immediately to curtail his power, particularly insofar as further troops to Iraq is concerned. He needs to be slapped down and slapped down hard. Not next week, not next month: NOW.



Cher

The Silverspoon Sociopath is the name I use for him. That is, as you said, his primary diagnosis. I think the secondary and also most disabling one is organic brain syndrome caused by years of cocaine and alcohol. Also, I think his maturation stopped when he became an alcoholic (as is common with alcoholics) and I suspect he was tipping the bottle far earlier than we realize.

Someone in another thread asked when the press is going to point blank ask him whether he has started drinking again. Granted, that person will no longer be allowed access to the President for the duration of the tenure of said President but hey, how long is that going to be, really?

or just a hell of an insomniac? I see you on here every night that I'm on (which would be nights off). I quite enjoy seeing you and your mask in the dark of night.

How Grand Altogether to see a post from you again!

:hi:
dbt
Remember New Orleans

but I don't often start threads. I guess I feel like I don't have much important to say.

Bush's mental/emotional/cognitive issues are so obvious to me (and to others, I know). I'd say start impeachment proceedings tomorrow, but the mental disability could get the job done a lot quicker IF ONLY SOMEONE WITH THE APPROPRIATE CREDENTIALS WOULD STAND UP. :shrug:

worst of it is, at least 45% of Americans are exactly like him.

I *always* know I'm smarter than the Twerp.

I have heard so many people ask what I always ask: "Why did everything I said about the Iraq war, from the beginning, turn out to be true, while everything Bush and Cheney said (and I mean everything) turned out to be false? How is this possible?"

Because you ARE smarter than they are. :) That's faint praise, I know. My dog is smarter than they are.

Actually, I take that back. I think Cheney is moderately intelligent. But he's a rotten, evil, disgusting POS, which cancels out the intelligence issue.

And how about his enablers, the neocon gang?
I'd say that's more relevant than his mental health, especially since he does nor single handedly makes decisions and policies.

Bush has charisma (to the 30%) and Cheney doesn't.

Bush may have already slipped his collar and gone off to raid the neighbors' garbage, while his handlers are frantically looking for a hook.

Bush's mental/emotional/cognitive disabilities are driving me crazy and the country into abyss.


edit> The first draft was just too long.

There's already ample evidence that they are guilty, and to me treason by an entire administration is a bit more important than the mental state of one of them.

not wiping away the tears, like he wants everyone to see him cry. The last occasion was for the ceremony for the brave young Marine.

He cries in public over sentimental stuff as well, like when he used to get those big approving ovations from his crowd. He would weep as if he was finally, for the first time in his life, getting some "love".

IMO, and I am only a mother and nurse, not an expert, his behavior seems inappropriate for his position of power, and you would think he have that figured out by now.

I think he has always had some emotional problems, like the narcissism disorder, but I also think he is brain damaged from his abuse of drugs and alcohol.

I believe some facial characteristics of FAS can be genetic. He is called the Dry Drunk, spoiled, obnoxious brat and a few other names I can't post in my home. He scares me and he always has. Whatever his disabilities are, he is a danger to our country and he's surrounded himself with dangerous people. I don't know about the rest of you but I never believed he would take the Iraqi group's suggestions seriously because it wasn't what he wanted to hear. I imagine his chorines are walking on eggshells as of late. He's being told no and that word is not in his vocabulary.

I went to school for Psychology and am now teaching in the public schools. It's very easy to look at a small portion of a person's interactions with others and make many spurious conclusions. Just because the George Bush we need to deal with as President is an egotistical, thoughtless, mean-spirited, lying sociopath doesn't mean he has a mental illness or other physical problem like FAS.

Remember, we only see a portion of his life through the lens of what his terrible and petulant decisions do to our country. I'm pretty sure he's very different in the comfort and safety of his Crawford compound or at the end of the day with Condi...oops I mean Laura! :)

Hell, he might even be an OK guy in those situations.

Most of the kids I have trouble with in my class are fine at home. We do not see all of Bush. Of course, his behavior at home might be worse or similar. We just don't know, so I can't see how we can diagnose.

And don't get me started on Bloom!


Also, I was struck by the "45% of America is just like him" quote. Is the claim then that 45% of America has a mental illness? I have no doubt that when they are commuting, waiting in line, or dealing with unpleasant public realities a large percentage of Americans behave in a way that is not indicative of their whole personality. I'm just leery of the same kind of broad brush painting we get from Bushinistas.

Sociopathy is a SERIOUS mental illness. You might want to take a look at Hervey Cleckley's "The Mask of Sanity." One of the best works on the sociopath (psychopath). I think it's out of print now, but a library might have it.

I stand by what I said. Bush meets the diagnostic criteria of a sociopath. Primarily, with other secondary issues.


I didn't say anything about 45% of the American public being just like him. That was truth_pinnacle (post #37). You'd have to ask him/her what is meant by that. :)

I noticed during his speech the other day, he made a comment and then slipped a small smile/look for approval. It only lasted a split-second, but I had seen him do it before. I don't remember what he was talking about at the time, and I was watching the speech at a friend's house, so I didn't want to stop and rewind it. I believe however, that he does it when he tries to slip one past the American people at the behest of his masters.

I think if we required everyone who runs for president to undergo psychological testing, we wouldn't have any presidents. They all tend to be obsessive and excessive and they all tend to be megalomaniacs.
Bush's evil and illegal behavior is enough reason for investigation/impeachment.
Madspirit

Last week, Fox News had a disgusting story entitled "Why Is She Smiling?", attacking the late Steve Irwin's 8 year old daughter for appearing on TV, smiling. Those bastards guestioned why she was so happy with her father dead.

The story they should have run was "Why Is He Giggling"?. They could have shown him chortling on his way to his helicopter last week, knowing that he is the most hated man in the world and has devasted civilization to its core.