Trump Derangement Syndrome DSM-IV™ Diagnosis & Criteria

309.81 Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)

Diagnostic Features

The essential feature of Trump Derangement Syndrome is the development of characteristic symptoms following the election of Donald Trump as president. (Criterion A1). The person's response to the event must involve intense fear, helplessness, or horror (or in children, the response must involve disorganized or agitated behavior or anti-civil rights marches) (Criterion A2). The characteristic symptoms resulting from the exposure to the extreme fake news include persistent reexperiencing of the traumatic event (Criterion B), persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (Criterion C), and persistent symptoms of increased arousal (Criterion D). The full symptom picture must be present for more than 1 month (Criterion E), and the disturbance must cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (Criterion F). This is differentiated from just being a snowflake with persistence, snowflakes melt.

Traumatic events that are experienced directly include, but are not limited to, seeing Donald Trump, hearing about him on NPR or reading about him in the Washington Post or NYT.

The traumatic event can be reexperienced in various ways. Commonly the person has recurrent and intrusive recollections of the event (Criterion B1) or recurrent distressing dreams during which the event is replayed (Criterion B2). In rare instances, the person experiences dissociative states that last from a few seconds to several hours, or even days, during which components of the event are relived and the person behaves as though experiencing the event at that moment (Criterion B3). Intense psychological distress (Criterion B4) or physiological reactivity (Criterion B5) often occurs when the person is exposed to triggering events that resemble or symbolize an aspect of the Trump election (e.g. anniversaries of the traumatic event; cold, snowy weather or uniformed guards for survivors of death camps in cold climates; hot, humid weather for combat veterans of the South Pacific; entering any elevator for a woman who was raped in an elevator).

Stimuli associated with the truth are persistently avoided. The person commonly makes deliberate efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations about the Democrat loss. (Criterion C1) and to avoid activities, situation, or people who arouse recollections of it (Criterion C2). This avoidance of reminders may include amnesia for an important aspect of the traumatic event (Criterion C3). They may start blubbering incoherently about the popular vote. Diminished responsiveness to the external world, referred to as "psychic numbing" or "emotional anesthesia," usually begins soon after the traumatic event. The individual may complain of having markedly diminished interest or participation in previously enjoyed activities (Criterion C4), of feeling detached or estranged from other people (Criterion C5), or of having markedly reduced ability to feel emotions (especially those associated with intimacy, tenderness, and sexuality) (Criterion C6). The individual may have a sense of a foreshortened future term of the president (e.g., not expecting Trump to have a full presidential term, marriage, children, or a normal life span) (Criterion C7).

The individual has persistent symptoms of anxiety or increased arousal that were not present before the election. These symptoms may include difficulty falling or staying asleep that may be due to recurrent nightmares during which the traumatic event is relived (Criterion D1), hypervigilance (Criterion D4), and exaggerated startle response (Criterion D5). Some individuals report irritability or outbursts of anger (Criterion D2) or difficulty concentrating or completing tasks (Criterion D3). Often times they will change their screen name to reflect their Trump trauma. They are often unable to write "trump" and will often substitute something they consider insulting.

Specifiers

The following specifiers may be used to specify onset and duration of the symptoms of TDS:

Butthurt . This specifier should be used when the duration of symptoms is less than 3 months.
Snowflake. This specifier should be used when the symptoms last 3 months or longer.
With Delayed Onset. This specifier indicates that at least 6 months have passed between the traumatic event and the onset of the symptoms.

Associated Features and Disorders

Associated descriptive features and mental disorders. Individuals with TDS may describe painful guilt feelings about surviving when others did not survive or about the things they had to do to survive. Phobic avoidance of situations or activities that resemble or symbolize the original trauma may interfere with interpersonal relationships and lead to marital conflict, divorce, or loss of job. The following associated constellation of symptoms may occur and are more commonly seen in association with an interpersonal stressor (e.g., childhood sexual or physical abuse, domestic battering, being taken hostage, incarceration as a prisoner of war or in a concentration camp, torture): impaired complaints; feelings of ineffectiveness, shame, despair, or hopelessness; feeling permanently damaged; a loss of previously sustained beliefs, hostility; social withdrawal; feeling constantly threatened; impaired relationships with others; or a change from the individual's previous personality characteristics and posting Anti Trump memes.

There may be increased risk of Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Social Phobia, Specific Phobia, Major Depressive Disorder, Somatization Disorder, and Substance-Related Disorders. It is not known to what extent these disorders precede or follow the onset of TDS
Associated laboratory findings. Increased arousal may be measured through studies of autonomic functioning (e.g., heart rate, electromyography, sweat gland activity).

Also by posting this meme

source

Anyone replying angrily can be considered to have tested positive for TDS.

Associated physical examination findings and general medical conditions. General medical conditions may occur as a consequence of the trauma (e.g., head injury, burns, pussy hat tan lines).

Specific Culture and Age Features

Individuals who have recently emigrated from blue states may have elevated risk of TDS. Such individuals may be especially reluctant to divulge experiences of torture and trauma due to their vulnerable political immigrant status. Specific assessments of traumatic experiences and concomitant symptoms are needed for such individuals.

Prevalence

Community-based studies reveal a lifetime prevalence for TDS ranging from 1% to 14%, with the variability related to methods of ascertainment and the population sampled. Studies of at-risk individuals (e.g., lesbians, democrats, Prius drivers ) have yielded prevalence rates ranging from 3% to 58%.

Course

TDS can occur at any age, including childhood. Symptoms usually begin within the first 3 months after the election, although there may be a delay of months, or even years, before symptoms appear. Frequently, the disturbance initially meets criteria for Acute Stress Disorder (see p. 429) in the immediate aftermath of the trauma. The symptoms of the disorder and the relative predominance of reexperiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms may vary over time. Duration of the symptoms varies, with complete recovery occurring within 3 months in approximately half of cases, with many others having persisting symptoms for longer than 12 months after the election.

The severity, duration, and proximity of an individual's exposure to the mainstream media are the most important factors affecting the likelihood of developing this disorder. There is some evidence that social supports, WaPo, family history, childhood experiences, CNN, personality variables, and preexisting mental disorders may influence the development of TDS. This disorder can develop in individuals without any predisposing conditions, particularly if they watch cable news.

Differential Diagnosis

In TDS, the stressor must not be of an extreme (i.e., life-threatening) nature. In contrast, in snowflake Disorder, the stressor can be of any severity. The diagnosis of Adjustment Disorder is appropriate both for situations in which the response to an extreme stressor does not meet the criteria for TDS (or another specific mental disorder) and for situations in which the symptom pattern of TDS occurs in response to a stressor that is not extreme (e.g., an extra scoop of ice cream).

Not all psychopathology that occurs in individuals exposed to the main stream media should necessarily be attributed to TDS. Symptoms of avoidance, numbing, and increased arousal that are present before exposure to the stressor do not meet criteria for the diagnosis of TDS and require consideration of other diagnoses (e.g., Brief Psychotic Disorder, Conversion Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder), these diagnoses should be given instead of, or in addition to, TDS.

Snowflake Disorder is distinguished from TDS because the symptom pattern in Acute Stress Disorder must occur within 4 weeks of the traumatic event and resolve within that 4-week period. If the symptoms persist for more than 1 month and meet criteria for TDS , the diagnosis is changed from Snowflake Disorder to TDS.

In TDS, there are recurrent intrusive thoughts about Donald Trump, but these are experienced as inappropriate and are not related to an experienced traumatic event. Flashbacks in TDS must be distinguished from illusions, hallucinations, and other perceptual disturbances that may occur in Schizophrenia, other Psychotic Disorders, Mood Disorder With Psychotic Features, a delirium, Substance-Induced Disorders, and Psychotic Disorders Due to a General Medical Condition.

Malingering should be ruled out in those situations in which financial remuneration, twitter followers, benefit eligibility, and forensic determinations play a role.
309.81 DSM-IV Criteria for Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)

A. The person has posted things online in which both of the following have been present:

(1) the person claimed Donald Trump threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others (2) the person's response to Trump winning involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror.

B. The traumatic event is persistently reexperienced in one (or more) of the following ways:

(1) recurrent and intrusive distressing recollections of the event, including images, thoughts, or perceptions posted in online forums.

(2) recurrent distressing dreams of the event. Note: In children, there may be frightening dreams without recognizable content.

(3) acting or feeling as if the election were recurring (includes a sense of reliving the experience, illusions, hallucinations, and dissociative flashback episodes, including those that occur upon awakening or when intoxicated). .

(4) intense psychological distress at exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the Trump Administration.

(5) physiological reactivity on exposure to internal or external cues that symbolize or resemble an aspect of the President.

C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness (not present before the trauma), as indicated by three (or more) of the following:

(1) efforts to avoid thoughts, feelings, or conversations associated with making America great again.

(2) efforts to avoid activities, places, or people that supported Trump

(3) inability to recall who actually won the election

(4) markedly diminished interest or participation in significant activities

(5) feeling of detachment or estrangement from others

(6) restricted range of affect (e.g., unable to have loving feelings for America)

(7) sense of a foreshortened presidential term (e.g., does not expect Trump to have a full term, impeachment fantasies)

D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (not present before the trauma), as indicated by two (or more) of the following:

(1) difficulty calling the president by his name
(2) irritability or outbursts of anger
(3) difficulty concentrating
(4) hypervigilance
(5) changing their screen name into some Trump reference

E. Duration of the disturbance (symptoms in Criteria B, C, and D) is more than one month.

F. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Specify if:
Acute: if duration of symptoms is less than 3 months
Chronic: if duration of symptoms is 3 months or more

Specify if:
With Delayed Onset: if onset of symptoms is at least 6 months after the election.

Please like and share this and repost it, there is no cure for TDS but the first step is to spread awareness of this debilitating condition that is reaching epidemic proportions.

this is an @funbobby51 original.