The Battle Against the Social Psychopathologies in Our Presidential Race

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PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

The first stage of our 2024 Presidential race in the United States seems to have been a battle of ageism as well as people. With 2 elderly white male candidates, it ended with President Biden dropping out, apparently a victim of either age or ageism. Age as the actual concern would reflect the limitations of normal aging, whereas ageism would be the influence of aging stereotypes. However, the actual medical status of both have remained hidden, perhaps another offshoot of the ageism against the elderly.

Now, given this sudden change, as Vice President Kamala Harris has taken the apparent lead in the Democratic process, a different social battle may be gearing up in regards to what I have called more of the social psychopathologies: sexism, racism, and anti-Asian hate. Harris’ mother was South Indian and her father was a Black Jamaican. Moreover, there is also some religious variation if extended families are included. She is Baptist and her husband is Jewish. A daughter and son-in-law of Trump are Jewish. Can Jews be a bridge of connection?

Culturally missing in this collection are Hispanics, though they are a large enough voting population to be crucial for who gets elected. Indigenous Americans are also in the background again, not mentioned by either side, yet with great social and mental health obstacles, and there are other cultural groups to politically consider. Age and ageism may now get focused more on Trump, let alone concerns about cultism.¹

This is such an area of political and cultural land mines of correctness and sensitivity that I apologize in advance for any unintentional negative triggers.

The perceived social identity of Harris is complex and includes gender, ethnicity, and religion. By their very nature, the connected social psychopathologies can be a target of attack by her opposition. The human tendency to fear the other, especially another of mixed race, can increase vulnerability to scapegoating, control, and cultish conspiracy claims. She, herself, has written about her multicultural identity as she emerged on the national scene.²

We have long faced similar challenges in clinical psychiatry. To help overcome these cultural challenges, various recommendations have become available in the cultural formalizations in our recent psychiatry DSMs, as well as increasing attention to the social determinants of mental health. Respect, humility, compassion, and curiosity are the preferred approach to finding out the influence of cultural identity on mental health, mental disturbance, and politics.

In both psychiatry and society, I would recommend this general approach to cultural identity:

- Your Own. Self-assess your own cultural identity and how it relates to your interactions with patients, colleagues, and others in general.

- The Patient. With humility and curiosity, find out how they view their own cultural identity and values, and how that may influence their mental health.

- Learn the Perspectives of Others. Learn how others may view your cultural identity, their identity, that of patients, and of politicians.

Clinicians are judged by the quality of their patient care, as politicians should be about their leadership of the wellness of the people. Perhaps now we are on a transition time between the old white male domination of society to that of a multicultural one. Hopefully, such a mixed cultural future—a nourishing potluck—in the United States will be one of valuing those of any cultural and religious identity, and providing them pathways to accomplishment and success. To achieve that sort of transition, all the social psychopathologies prominent on both sides of the cultural wars of the Presidential race need to be defeated, and we have the knowledge base to help a healing process along with facts and the truth instead of stereotypes and cultish thinking.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.

Reference

1. Hassan S. The Cult of Trump. Simon & Schuster; 2019.

2. Harris K. The Truths We Hold: An American Journey. Penguin; 2020.