Psychiatrists think they should be allowed to offer their medical opinions on President Trump, no therapist’s couch needed.
A group of doctors are appealing to the American Psychiatric Association in hopes of rolling back a rule that prohibits them from analyzing public figures, Stat reported Thursday.
The Goldwater rule is an APA policy that says psychiatrists and psychologists should never publicize their evaluations of a public figure’s mental health, since they presumably haven’t had an in-person evaluation. The ethics rule has long been controversial, because some experts feel it is their duty to help the public understand when a person’s mental health concerns present “a clear and present danger to the public’s health and well-being.”
