Re: "Trump, At Putin's Side, Questions U.S. Intelligence on 2016 Election" — Letters that should have been in the new york times

To the editor:

The American Psychiatric Association, wedded to an outdated concept of ethical conduct, refuses to make any public statement concerning the mental health of President Trump because he has not been personally examined. In staying silent, they do a disservice to their membership and to a population desensitized, numbed or terrifed by the current state of affairs. President Trump's conduct over the last several days - with our allies in Europe and England and today with Vladimir Putin - is a reflection of mental instability regardless of diagnosis.

Today (Trump, At Putin's Side, Question U.S. Intelligence on 2016 Election, 7.23.18) the President of the United States, in avoiding rebuking Russia and more importantly in equivocating in his support of our intelligence agency, laid bare is unfitness to govern. He does not trust the agency whose function is to keep us safe.

Given President Trump's ability to spin reality, hail fake news as real and real news as fake, and manipulate the minds of a vulnerable public, we need the American Psychiatric Association and other professional associations invested in the well-being of our country to step forward and make a statement - any statement - that serves as a reality check that what we are witnessing is not normal and a threat to our national security.

Respectfully,

Larry S. Sandberg MD