🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 163 (from laksa094)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa163.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical, ml_categories_json AS ml_categories_json, ml_types_json AS ml_types_json, ml_intent_types_json AS ml_intent_types_json, meta_language AS meta_language, attrs_author AS attrs_author, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_publish_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(attrs_original_publish_time), 0) AS attrs_original_publish_time, ifNull(attrs_is_republished, 0) AS attrs_is_republished, ifNull(attrs_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_nr_words, ifNull(attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, 0) AS attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words, ifNull(body_ext_links_number, 0) AS body_ext_links_number, ifNull(body_int_links_number, 0) AS body_int_links_number, ifNull(meta_nofollow, 0) AS meta_nofollow, ifNull(meta_noarchive, 0) AS meta_noarchive, ifNull(props_was_rendered, 0) AS props_was_rendered, ifNull(src_redirect, \'\') AS src_redirect, ifNull(download_time_msec, 0) AS download_time_msec, ifNull(download_ttfb_msec, 0) AS download_ttfb_msec, ifNull(download_size, 0) AS download_size FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/trump-mental-health-19821030.php\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/trump-mental-health-19821030.php\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/trump-mental-health-19821030.php","crawl_time":1776647716,"first_indexed_time":1728598009,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,sfchronicle!www,\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/trump-mental-health-19821030.php s443","src_root_hash":"14097438092688553363","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"America needs its mental health experts to weigh in on Trump now","meta_descriptions":["Why are mental health experts not condemning this man, whose acts, criminal behavior, and hate speech all exhibit clear mental health disturbances?"],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. \nAlex Brandon\/Associated Press\nRecently in a stump speech, former President Donald Trump\ncalled his opponent,\nVice President Kamala Harris, both “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled.”  \nHis comments were not only untrue but utterly ironic as Trump himself is facing\nincreasing questions in the media\nabout his possible cognitive decline. But in all of this speculation, there is an important perspective largely missing from the conversation: Mental health professionals.\nAnd the question must be asked: Why isn’t the community of mental health professionals calling Trump on his mental disturbances? Now, especially.\nArticle continues below this ad\nDuring his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. As a licensed clinician, it pains me to see how, in the absence of expert opinion in the media, Trump has been allowed so much breathing room and free reign to\ninflict harm\non others by labeling those who have shown no signs of mental disability. Moreover, Trump uses “mental disability” intending to disparage. In doing so,\nhe harms not just one person\n, but many, undercutting the dignity that all people deserve.\nWhy are mental health experts — individually and as a body — not condemning this man, whose acts, criminal behavior and hate speech all exhibit clear mental health disturbances?\nSan Francisco Chronicle Logo\nMake us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.\nAdd Preferred Source\nThere’s a reason.\nDuring the 1964 presidential campaign, a magazine polled psychiatrists about Republican candidate Barry Goldwater’s mental fitness, and the majority pronounced him “unfit” for office.  Did that influence public opinion? You bet.\nArticle continues below this ad\nTherefore, in cautious response, the American Psychiatric Association passed the \nGoldwater Rule\nbarring psychiatrists from diagnosing or offering professional opinions about the mental health of any person they have not personally examined. The Goldwater Rule makes sense to prevent wild speculation and smearing of those in the public eye. It puts the brakes on unscrupulous labeling, diagnosing and scandalizing.\nBut the rule backfires when psychiatrists are unable to communicate their professional knowledge when a presidential candidate poses a significant threat to American civilians. Could the ethical solution lay somewhere between?\nAs a matter of course, in op-eds and on broadcast news programming, experts in nearly every other profession are asked to share their considerable perspectives and opinions to help inform the voting public, policymakers and government officials. But not so for psychiatrists, and by extension, for other health professionals or organizations mired in (or hiding behind) the Goldwater Rule.\nWhen psychiatrists are muzzled and disempowered to speak out, it harms society’s best interests. And what of an exception to the rule? Trump represents an exceptional candidate. I know I speak for dozens, perhaps hundreds, of mental health professionals in calling upon the American Psychiatric Association to reconsider the limitations of the Goldwater rule.  Rules must evolve alongside society, not die in stuffy air chambers. Freedom of speech should not be so rigidly stifled.\nSoon after Trump’s election in 2016, an international coalition of prominent psychiatrists formed the\nWorld Mental Health Coalition\nto address the issue of dangerous leadership and Trump’s “dangerous mental impairments.” In 2020, in response to Trump’s mismanagement of the coronavirus, the group released a “Prescription for Survival” requesting that Trump either sit for a mental health evaluation or resign, as he “is so gravely mentally incapacitated that he is an imminent danger to the nation.” They noted that Trump was making a global pandemic deadlier “not just through incompetence and ignorance, but through a dangerous detachment from reality, an inability to care for its citizens, a need to convey false information.”\nArticle continues below this ad\nThis courageous group stepped up because they felt an ethical obligation to the public and a “duty to warn” based on their knowledge and expertise. That’s exactly how experts should interface with politics. However, they are a very small minority in a sea of caution.\nWhat Americans need right now to make informed decisions at the ballot box is a new initiative from mental health professionals trained in analyzing human behavior, motivation, character and temperament.  Love it or hate it, Americans need to hear that Trump is not fit for office and just why his antisocial behavior poses a significant threat to democratic leadership.\nAbout Opinion\nGuest opinions in\nOpen Forum and Insight\nare produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers.\nTheir views do not necessarily reflect\nthe opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.\nThere is a middle ground between slapping a diagnosis on a political figure in absolute terms and staying muzzled while the country tilts toward a return to leadership by an impaired individual who has now dragged out the oldest tactic in the book — accusing his opponent of his own vulnerabilities.\nTrump’s unique character, and his dangerous mental state, should not be treated with delicate restraint.\nArticle continues below this ad\nMore Opinions\nAriella Cook-Shonkoff is\na licensed psychotherapist, art therapist and writer based in Berkeley.","attrs_markdown":"San Francisco Chronicle Logo\n\nHearst Newspapers Logo\n\n[Skip to main content](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/trump-mental-health-19821030.php#content)\n\n[Subscribe](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/hamburgerbutton)\n\n[Bay Area](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/)\n\n- [San Francisco](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/sf\/)\n- [Transit](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/transit\/)\n- [Crime](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/crime\/)\n- [Drug Crisis](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opioid-epidemic\/)\n- [Golden Gate Park](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/goldengatepark\/)\n- 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tragedy](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/article\/marin-car-crash-driver-fairfax-22196523.php)\\|\n\n[Oakland shooting](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/crime\/article\/oakland-shooting-homicide-22214337.php)\\|\n\n[I-80 closure](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/sf\/article\/i80-bayshore-freeway-repairs-22213336.php)\\|\n\n[Marine World](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/totalsf\/article\/marine-world-redwood-vallejo-22210185.php)\\|\n\n[Top 100](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/projects\/2026\/top-100-best-restaurants-san-francisco-bay-area\/)\n\n[Opinion](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/)\/\/[Open Forum](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/)\n\n# Mental health professionals have largely been silent about Trump. That needs to change\nBy Ariella Cook-Shonkoff\n\nOct 8, 2024\n\n![During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. ]()\n\nDuring his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community.\n\nAlex Brandon\/Associated Press\n\nRecently in a stump speech, former President Donald Trump [called his opponent,](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/09\/28\/trump-harris-attacks-mentally-impaired-criticism\/) Vice President Kamala Harris, both “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled.”\n\nHis comments were not only untrue but utterly ironic as Trump himself is facing [increasing questions in the media](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/06\/us\/politics\/trump-speeches-age-cognitive-decline.html) about his possible cognitive decline. But in all of this speculation, there is an important perspective largely missing from the conversation: Mental health professionals.\n\nAnd the question must be asked: Why isn’t the community of mental health professionals calling Trump on his mental disturbances? Now, especially.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nArticle continues below this ad\n\nDuring his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. As a licensed clinician, it pains me to see how, in the absence of expert opinion in the media, Trump has been allowed so much breathing room and free reign to [inflict harm](https:\/\/theconversation.com\/yes-calling-someone-mentally-disabled-causes-real-harm-239659) on others by labeling those who have shown no signs of mental disability. Moreover, Trump uses “mental disability” intending to disparage. In doing so, [he harms not just one person](https:\/\/theconversation.com\/yes-calling-someone-mentally-disabled-causes-real-harm-239659), but many, undercutting the dignity that all people deserve.\n\nWhy are mental health experts — individually and as a body — not condemning this man, whose acts, criminal behavior and hate speech all exhibit clear mental health disturbances?\n\nSan Francisco Chronicle Logo\n\n### See more S.F. Chronicle on Google\nMake us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.\n\n[Add Preferred Source](https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=sfchronicle.com)\n\nThere’s a reason.\n\nDuring the 1964 presidential campaign, a magazine polled psychiatrists about Republican candidate Barry Goldwater’s mental fitness, and the majority pronounced him “unfit” for office. Did that influence public opinion? You bet.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nArticle continues below this ad\n\nTherefore, in cautious response, the American Psychiatric Association passed the [Goldwater Rule](https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/goldwater-rule#:~:text=The%20Goldwater%20Rule%20is%20a,they%20have%20not%20personally%20evaluated.) barring psychiatrists from diagnosing or offering professional opinions about the mental health of any person they have not personally examined. The Goldwater Rule makes sense to prevent wild speculation and smearing of those in the public eye. It puts the brakes on unscrupulous labeling, diagnosing and scandalizing.\n\nBut the rule backfires when psychiatrists are unable to communicate their professional knowledge when a presidential candidate poses a significant threat to American civilians. Could the ethical solution lay somewhere between?\n\nAs a matter of course, in op-eds and on broadcast news programming, experts in nearly every other profession are asked to share their considerable perspectives and opinions to help inform the voting public, policymakers and government officials. But not so for psychiatrists, and by extension, for other health professionals or organizations mired in (or hiding behind) the Goldwater Rule.\n\nWhen psychiatrists are muzzled and disempowered to speak out, it harms society’s best interests. And what of an exception to the rule? Trump represents an exceptional candidate. I know I speak for dozens, perhaps hundreds, of mental health professionals in calling upon the American Psychiatric Association to reconsider the limitations of the Goldwater rule. Rules must evolve alongside society, not die in stuffy air chambers. Freedom of speech should not be so rigidly stifled.\n\nSoon after Trump’s election in 2016, an international coalition of prominent psychiatrists formed the [World Mental Health Coalition](https:\/\/worldmhc.org\/) to address the issue of dangerous leadership and Trump’s “dangerous mental impairments.” In 2020, in response to Trump’s mismanagement of the coronavirus, the group released a “Prescription for Survival” requesting that Trump either sit for a mental health evaluation or resign, as he “is so gravely mentally incapacitated that he is an imminent danger to the nation.” They noted that Trump was making a global pandemic deadlier “not just through incompetence and ignorance, but through a dangerous detachment from reality, an inability to care for its citizens, a need to convey false information.”\n\nAdvertisement\n\nArticle continues below this ad\n\nThis courageous group stepped up because they felt an ethical obligation to the public and a “duty to warn” based on their knowledge and expertise. That’s exactly how experts should interface with politics. However, they are a very small minority in a sea of caution.\n\nWhat Americans need right now to make informed decisions at the ballot box is a new initiative from mental health professionals trained in analyzing human behavior, motivation, character and temperament. Love it or hate it, Americans need to hear that Trump is not fit for office and just why his antisocial behavior poses a significant threat to democratic leadership.\n\nAbout Opinion\n\nGuest opinions in **Open Forum and Insight** are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. **Their views do not necessarily reflect** the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.\n\n[*Read more about our transparency and ethics policies*](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/standards\/)\n\nThere is a middle ground between slapping a diagnosis on a political figure in absolute terms and staying muzzled while the country tilts toward a return to leadership by an impaired individual who has now dragged out the oldest tactic in the book — accusing his opponent of his own vulnerabilities.\n\nTrump’s unique character, and his dangerous mental state, should not be treated with delicate restraint.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nArticle continues below this ad\n\nMore Opinions\n\n[Vance’s views on older women are an opportunity for Harris](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/vance-kamala-old-women-19815801.php)\n\n[J.D. Vance’s “pro-family” views not only severely limit the freedom of women of all ages but pose serious social and economic implications for a powerful voting bloc: women 65 and older.](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/vance-kamala-old-women-19815801.php)\n\n[![Republican vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), has not held senior women voters in high regard in his campaign speeches.]()](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/openforum\/article\/vance-kamala-old-women-19815801.php)\n\n[Letters: Should political lies be protected by First Amendment?](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/letterstotheeditor\/article\/political-lies-first-amendment-19811337.php)\n\n[Chronicle readers also comment on J.D. Vance, the Trump Effect, legacy admissions and a San Francisco district attorney ruling.](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/letterstotheeditor\/article\/political-lies-first-amendment-19811337.php)\n\n[![Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks during a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News, with Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo\/Matt Rourke)]()](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/opinion\/letterstotheeditor\/article\/political-lies-first-amendment-19811337.php)\n\n*Ariella Cook-Shonkoff is* *a licensed psychotherapist, art therapist and writer based in Berkeley.*\n\nOct 8, 2024\n\nAriella Cook-Shonkoff\n\nMost Popular\n\n1\\.\n\n[A Marin teen’s crash killed four friends. 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Now it needs new rules](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/outdoors\/article\/pedro-point-pacifica-hiking-22202671.php)\n\n4\\.\n\n[Is a hotel room boom about to reshape one of the Bay Area’s most expensive destinations?](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/article\/napa-downtown-hotel-room-22208332.php)\n\n5\\.\n\n[How Original Joe’s turned a San Francisco classic into a Bay Area powerhouse](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/bayarea\/nativeson\/article\/original-joes-bay-area-expansion-22209393.php)\n\nTop of the News\n\n[![Lloyd Lacy, owner of Lacy’s Barber Shop, waves to a friend as he cuts Leroy Lindo’s hair in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Lacy, 80, has owned the shop since 2010, but it’s been in the neighborhood for 52 years. 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Communications, Inc.\n\n[Terms of Use](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/terms\/)[Privacy Notice](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/privacy\/)[CA Notice at Collection](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/privacy_policy\/#caprivacyrights)[Your CA Privacy Rights (Shine the Light)](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/privacy_policy\/#shinethelight)[DAA Industry Opt Out](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/privacy_policy\/#daaoptout)\n\n[Your Privacy Choices (Opt Out of Sale\/Targeted Ads)](https:\/\/www.sfchronicle.com\/yourdata\/)","attrs_readable_markdown":"![During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. ]()\n\nDuring his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community.\n\nAlex Brandon\/Associated Press\n\nRecently in a stump speech, former President Donald Trump [called his opponent,](https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2024\/09\/28\/trump-harris-attacks-mentally-impaired-criticism\/) Vice President Kamala Harris, both “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled.”\n\nHis comments were not only untrue but utterly ironic as Trump himself is facing [increasing questions in the media](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/10\/06\/us\/politics\/trump-speeches-age-cognitive-decline.html) about his possible cognitive decline. But in all of this speculation, there is an important perspective largely missing from the conversation: Mental health professionals.\n\nAnd the question must be asked: Why isn’t the community of mental health professionals calling Trump on his mental disturbances? Now, especially.\n\nArticle continues below this ad\n\nDuring his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. As a licensed clinician, it pains me to see how, in the absence of expert opinion in the media, Trump has been allowed so much breathing room and free reign to [inflict harm](https:\/\/theconversation.com\/yes-calling-someone-mentally-disabled-causes-real-harm-239659) on others by labeling those who have shown no signs of mental disability. Moreover, Trump uses “mental disability” intending to disparage. In doing so, [he harms not just one person](https:\/\/theconversation.com\/yes-calling-someone-mentally-disabled-causes-real-harm-239659), but many, undercutting the dignity that all people deserve.\n\nWhy are mental health experts — individually and as a body — not condemning this man, whose acts, criminal behavior and hate speech all exhibit clear mental health disturbances?\n\nSan Francisco Chronicle Logo\n\nMake us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search.\n\n[Add Preferred Source](https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=sfchronicle.com)\n\nThere’s a reason.\n\nDuring the 1964 presidential campaign, a magazine polled psychiatrists about Republican candidate Barry Goldwater’s mental fitness, and the majority pronounced him “unfit” for office. Did that influence public opinion? You bet.\n\nArticle continues below this ad\n\nTherefore, in cautious response, the American Psychiatric Association passed the [Goldwater Rule](https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/basics\/goldwater-rule#:~:text=The%20Goldwater%20Rule%20is%20a,they%20have%20not%20personally%20evaluated.) barring psychiatrists from diagnosing or offering professional opinions about the mental health of any person they have not personally examined. The Goldwater Rule makes sense to prevent wild speculation and smearing of those in the public eye. It puts the brakes on unscrupulous labeling, diagnosing and scandalizing.\n\nBut the rule backfires when psychiatrists are unable to communicate their professional knowledge when a presidential candidate poses a significant threat to American civilians. Could the ethical solution lay somewhere between?\n\nAs a matter of course, in op-eds and on broadcast news programming, experts in nearly every other profession are asked to share their considerable perspectives and opinions to help inform the voting public, policymakers and government officials. But not so for psychiatrists, and by extension, for other health professionals or organizations mired in (or hiding behind) the Goldwater Rule.\n\nWhen psychiatrists are muzzled and disempowered to speak out, it harms society’s best interests. And what of an exception to the rule? Trump represents an exceptional candidate. I know I speak for dozens, perhaps hundreds, of mental health professionals in calling upon the American Psychiatric Association to reconsider the limitations of the Goldwater rule. Rules must evolve alongside society, not die in stuffy air chambers. Freedom of speech should not be so rigidly stifled.\n\nSoon after Trump’s election in 2016, an international coalition of prominent psychiatrists formed the [World Mental Health Coalition](https:\/\/worldmhc.org\/) to address the issue of dangerous leadership and Trump’s “dangerous mental impairments.” In 2020, in response to Trump’s mismanagement of the coronavirus, the group released a “Prescription for Survival” requesting that Trump either sit for a mental health evaluation or resign, as he “is so gravely mentally incapacitated that he is an imminent danger to the nation.” They noted that Trump was making a global pandemic deadlier “not just through incompetence and ignorance, but through a dangerous detachment from reality, an inability to care for its citizens, a need to convey false information.”\n\nArticle continues below this ad\n\nThis courageous group stepped up because they felt an ethical obligation to the public and a “duty to warn” based on their knowledge and expertise. That’s exactly how experts should interface with politics. However, they are a very small minority in a sea of caution.\n\nWhat Americans need right now to make informed decisions at the ballot box is a new initiative from mental health professionals trained in analyzing human behavior, motivation, character and temperament. Love it or hate it, Americans need to hear that Trump is not fit for office and just why his antisocial behavior poses a significant threat to democratic leadership.\n\nAbout Opinion\n\nGuest opinions in **Open Forum and Insight** are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. **Their views do not necessarily reflect** the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership.\n\nThere is a middle ground between slapping a diagnosis on a political figure in absolute terms and staying muzzled while the country tilts toward a return to leadership by an impaired individual who has now dragged out the oldest tactic in the book — accusing his opponent of his own vulnerabilities.\n\nTrump’s unique character, and his dangerous mental state, should not be treated with delicate restraint.\n\nArticle continues below this ad\n\nMore Opinions\n\n*Ariella Cook-Shonkoff is* *a licensed psychotherapist, art therapist and writer based in Berkeley.*","meta_canonical":null,"ml_categories_json":"{\"\/Health\":867,\"\/Health\/Mental_Health\":863,\"\/Health\/Mental_Health\/Other\":514,\"\/People_and_Society\":373,\"\/People_and_Society\/Social_Issues_and_Advocacy\":338,\"\/Law_and_Government\":144,\"\/People_and_Society\/Social_Issues_and_Advocacy\/Discrimination_and_Identity_Relations\":116}","ml_types_json":"{\"\/Article\":997,\"\/Article\/Opinion_Piece\":994}","ml_intent_types_json":"{\"Informational\":998}","meta_language":"en","attrs_author":"Ariella Cook-Shonkoff","attrs_publish_time":1728385200,"attrs_original_publish_time":1728385200,"attrs_is_republished":0,"attrs_nr_words":"1532","attrs_boilerpipe_nr_words":"884","body_ext_links_number":42,"body_int_links_number":114,"meta_nofollow":0,"meta_noarchive":0,"props_was_rendered":0,"src_redirect":"","download_time_msec":457,"download_ttfb_msec":432,"download_size":110280}

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America needs its mental health experts to weigh in on Trump now

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Why are mental health experts not condemning this man, whose acts, criminal behavior, and hate speech all exhibit clear mental health disturbances?

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During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. Alex Brandon/Associated Press Recently in a stump speech, former President Donald Trump called his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, both “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled.” His comments were not only untrue but utterly ironic as Trump himself is facing increasing questions in the media about his possible cognitive decline. But in all of this speculation, there is an important perspective largely missing from the conversation: Mental health professionals. And the question must be asked: Why isn’t the community of mental health professionals calling Trump on his mental disturbances? Now, especially. Article continues below this ad During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. As a licensed clinician, it pains me to see how, in the absence of expert opinion in the media, Trump has been allowed so much breathing room and free reign to inflict harm on others by labeling those who have shown no signs of mental disability. Moreover, Trump uses “mental disability” intending to disparage. In doing so, he harms not just one person , but many, undercutting the dignity that all people deserve. Why are mental health experts — individually and as a body — not condemning this man, whose acts, criminal behavior and hate speech all exhibit clear mental health disturbances? San Francisco Chronicle Logo Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search. Add Preferred Source There’s a reason. During the 1964 presidential campaign, a magazine polled psychiatrists about Republican candidate Barry Goldwater’s mental fitness, and the majority pronounced him “unfit” for office. Did that influence public opinion? You bet. Article continues below this ad Therefore, in cautious response, the American Psychiatric Association passed the Goldwater Rule barring psychiatrists from diagnosing or offering professional opinions about the mental health of any person they have not personally examined. The Goldwater Rule makes sense to prevent wild speculation and smearing of those in the public eye. It puts the brakes on unscrupulous labeling, diagnosing and scandalizing. But the rule backfires when psychiatrists are unable to communicate their professional knowledge when a presidential candidate poses a significant threat to American civilians. Could the ethical solution lay somewhere between? As a matter of course, in op-eds and on broadcast news programming, experts in nearly every other profession are asked to share their considerable perspectives and opinions to help inform the voting public, policymakers and government officials. But not so for psychiatrists, and by extension, for other health professionals or organizations mired in (or hiding behind) the Goldwater Rule. When psychiatrists are muzzled and disempowered to speak out, it harms society’s best interests. And what of an exception to the rule? Trump represents an exceptional candidate. I know I speak for dozens, perhaps hundreds, of mental health professionals in calling upon the American Psychiatric Association to reconsider the limitations of the Goldwater rule. Rules must evolve alongside society, not die in stuffy air chambers. Freedom of speech should not be so rigidly stifled. Soon after Trump’s election in 2016, an international coalition of prominent psychiatrists formed the World Mental Health Coalition to address the issue of dangerous leadership and Trump’s “dangerous mental impairments.” In 2020, in response to Trump’s mismanagement of the coronavirus, the group released a “Prescription for Survival” requesting that Trump either sit for a mental health evaluation or resign, as he “is so gravely mentally incapacitated that he is an imminent danger to the nation.” They noted that Trump was making a global pandemic deadlier “not just through incompetence and ignorance, but through a dangerous detachment from reality, an inability to care for its citizens, a need to convey false information.” Article continues below this ad This courageous group stepped up because they felt an ethical obligation to the public and a “duty to warn” based on their knowledge and expertise. That’s exactly how experts should interface with politics. However, they are a very small minority in a sea of caution. What Americans need right now to make informed decisions at the ballot box is a new initiative from mental health professionals trained in analyzing human behavior, motivation, character and temperament. Love it or hate it, Americans need to hear that Trump is not fit for office and just why his antisocial behavior poses a significant threat to democratic leadership. About Opinion Guest opinions in Open Forum and Insight are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. Their views do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. There is a middle ground between slapping a diagnosis on a political figure in absolute terms and staying muzzled while the country tilts toward a return to leadership by an impaired individual who has now dragged out the oldest tactic in the book — accusing his opponent of his own vulnerabilities. Trump’s unique character, and his dangerous mental state, should not be treated with delicate restraint. Article continues below this ad More Opinions Ariella Cook-Shonkoff is a licensed psychotherapist, art therapist and writer based in Berkeley.

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That needs to change By Ariella Cook-Shonkoff Oct 8, 2024 ![During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. ]() During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. Alex Brandon/Associated Press Recently in a stump speech, former President Donald Trump [called his opponent,](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/28/trump-harris-attacks-mentally-impaired-criticism/) Vice President Kamala Harris, both “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled.” His comments were not only untrue but utterly ironic as Trump himself is facing [increasing questions in the media](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/06/us/politics/trump-speeches-age-cognitive-decline.html) about his possible cognitive decline. But in all of this speculation, there is an important perspective largely missing from the conversation: Mental health professionals. And the question must be asked: Why isn’t the community of mental health professionals calling Trump on his mental disturbances? Now, especially. Advertisement Article continues below this ad During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. As a licensed clinician, it pains me to see how, in the absence of expert opinion in the media, Trump has been allowed so much breathing room and free reign to [inflict harm](https://theconversation.com/yes-calling-someone-mentally-disabled-causes-real-harm-239659) on others by labeling those who have shown no signs of mental disability. Moreover, Trump uses “mental disability” intending to disparage. In doing so, [he harms not just one person](https://theconversation.com/yes-calling-someone-mentally-disabled-causes-real-harm-239659), but many, undercutting the dignity that all people deserve. Why are mental health experts — individually and as a body — not condemning this man, whose acts, criminal behavior and hate speech all exhibit clear mental health disturbances? San Francisco Chronicle Logo ### See more S.F. Chronicle on Google Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search. [Add Preferred Source](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=sfchronicle.com) There’s a reason. During the 1964 presidential campaign, a magazine polled psychiatrists about Republican candidate Barry Goldwater’s mental fitness, and the majority pronounced him “unfit” for office. Did that influence public opinion? You bet. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Therefore, in cautious response, the American Psychiatric Association passed the [Goldwater Rule](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/goldwater-rule#:~:text=The%20Goldwater%20Rule%20is%20a,they%20have%20not%20personally%20evaluated.) barring psychiatrists from diagnosing or offering professional opinions about the mental health of any person they have not personally examined. The Goldwater Rule makes sense to prevent wild speculation and smearing of those in the public eye. It puts the brakes on unscrupulous labeling, diagnosing and scandalizing. But the rule backfires when psychiatrists are unable to communicate their professional knowledge when a presidential candidate poses a significant threat to American civilians. Could the ethical solution lay somewhere between? As a matter of course, in op-eds and on broadcast news programming, experts in nearly every other profession are asked to share their considerable perspectives and opinions to help inform the voting public, policymakers and government officials. But not so for psychiatrists, and by extension, for other health professionals or organizations mired in (or hiding behind) the Goldwater Rule. When psychiatrists are muzzled and disempowered to speak out, it harms society’s best interests. And what of an exception to the rule? Trump represents an exceptional candidate. I know I speak for dozens, perhaps hundreds, of mental health professionals in calling upon the American Psychiatric Association to reconsider the limitations of the Goldwater rule. Rules must evolve alongside society, not die in stuffy air chambers. Freedom of speech should not be so rigidly stifled. Soon after Trump’s election in 2016, an international coalition of prominent psychiatrists formed the [World Mental Health Coalition](https://worldmhc.org/) to address the issue of dangerous leadership and Trump’s “dangerous mental impairments.” In 2020, in response to Trump’s mismanagement of the coronavirus, the group released a “Prescription for Survival” requesting that Trump either sit for a mental health evaluation or resign, as he “is so gravely mentally incapacitated that he is an imminent danger to the nation.” They noted that Trump was making a global pandemic deadlier “not just through incompetence and ignorance, but through a dangerous detachment from reality, an inability to care for its citizens, a need to convey false information.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad This courageous group stepped up because they felt an ethical obligation to the public and a “duty to warn” based on their knowledge and expertise. That’s exactly how experts should interface with politics. However, they are a very small minority in a sea of caution. What Americans need right now to make informed decisions at the ballot box is a new initiative from mental health professionals trained in analyzing human behavior, motivation, character and temperament. Love it or hate it, Americans need to hear that Trump is not fit for office and just why his antisocial behavior poses a significant threat to democratic leadership. About Opinion Guest opinions in **Open Forum and Insight** are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. **Their views do not necessarily reflect** the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. [*Read more about our transparency and ethics policies*](https://www.sfchronicle.com/standards/) There is a middle ground between slapping a diagnosis on a political figure in absolute terms and staying muzzled while the country tilts toward a return to leadership by an impaired individual who has now dragged out the oldest tactic in the book — accusing his opponent of his own vulnerabilities. Trump’s unique character, and his dangerous mental state, should not be treated with delicate restraint. Advertisement Article continues below this ad More Opinions [Vance’s views on older women are an opportunity for Harris](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/vance-kamala-old-women-19815801.php) [J.D. Vance’s “pro-family” views not only severely limit the freedom of women of all ages but pose serious social and economic implications for a powerful voting bloc: women 65 and older.](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/vance-kamala-old-women-19815801.php) [![Republican vice presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), has not held senior women voters in high regard in his campaign speeches.]()](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/openforum/article/vance-kamala-old-women-19815801.php) [Letters: Should political lies be protected by First Amendment?](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/letterstotheeditor/article/political-lies-first-amendment-19811337.php) [Chronicle readers also comment on J.D. Vance, the Trump Effect, legacy admissions and a San Francisco district attorney ruling.](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/letterstotheeditor/article/political-lies-first-amendment-19811337.php) [![Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks during a vice presidential debate hosted by CBS News, with Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)]()](https://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/letterstotheeditor/article/political-lies-first-amendment-19811337.php) *Ariella Cook-Shonkoff is* *a licensed psychotherapist, art therapist and writer based in Berkeley.* Oct 8, 2024 Ariella Cook-Shonkoff Most Popular 1\. [A Marin teen’s crash killed four friends. Now families divided by tragedy reveal all they’ve endured](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/marin-car-crash-driver-fairfax-22196523.php) 2\. [Meta layoffs: Tech giant to cut about 8,000 jobs in May, report says](https://www.sfchronicle.com/tech/article/meta-layoffs-may-reuters-22212763.php) 3\. [This coastal Bay Area hiking spot has exploded in popularity. Now it needs new rules](https://www.sfchronicle.com/outdoors/article/pedro-point-pacifica-hiking-22202671.php) 4\. [Is a hotel room boom about to reshape one of the Bay Area’s most expensive destinations?](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/napa-downtown-hotel-room-22208332.php) 5\. [How Original Joe’s turned a San Francisco classic into a Bay Area powerhouse](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/nativeson/article/original-joes-bay-area-expansion-22209393.php) Top of the News [![Lloyd Lacy, owner of Lacy’s Barber Shop, waves to a friend as he cuts Leroy Lindo’s hair in San Francisco on Tuesday, March 17, 2026. Lacy, 80, has owned the shop since 2010, but it’s been in the neighborhood for 52 years. Lacy is currently raising \$4500 in donations through GoFundMe to keep his business, located at 101 Broad St., afloat.]()](https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2026/sf-black-population/) San Francisco [How San Francisco’s Black population changed, block by block over 50 years](https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2026/sf-black-population/) [Newly analyzed census data reveals where San Francisco’s Black population fell most sharply since 1970 — and the neighborhoods fighting to keep their history.](https://www.sfchronicle.com/projects/2026/sf-black-population/) [Bay Area](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/) [Is a hotel room boom about to reshape one of the Bay Area’s most expensive destinations?](https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/napa-downtown-hotel-room-22208332.php) [California](https://www.sfchronicle.com/california/) [Is California trying to tax retirement savings? 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![During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. ]() During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Donald Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. Alex Brandon/Associated Press Recently in a stump speech, former President Donald Trump [called his opponent,](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/09/28/trump-harris-attacks-mentally-impaired-criticism/) Vice President Kamala Harris, both “mentally impaired” and “mentally disabled.” His comments were not only untrue but utterly ironic as Trump himself is facing [increasing questions in the media](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/06/us/politics/trump-speeches-age-cognitive-decline.html) about his possible cognitive decline. But in all of this speculation, there is an important perspective largely missing from the conversation: Mental health professionals. And the question must be asked: Why isn’t the community of mental health professionals calling Trump on his mental disturbances? Now, especially. Article continues below this ad During his presidency and two vitriolic presidential campaigns, Trump has enjoyed virtual immunity from the professional leadership of the mental health community. As a licensed clinician, it pains me to see how, in the absence of expert opinion in the media, Trump has been allowed so much breathing room and free reign to [inflict harm](https://theconversation.com/yes-calling-someone-mentally-disabled-causes-real-harm-239659) on others by labeling those who have shown no signs of mental disability. Moreover, Trump uses “mental disability” intending to disparage. In doing so, [he harms not just one person](https://theconversation.com/yes-calling-someone-mentally-disabled-causes-real-harm-239659), but many, undercutting the dignity that all people deserve. Why are mental health experts — individually and as a body — not condemning this man, whose acts, criminal behavior and hate speech all exhibit clear mental health disturbances? San Francisco Chronicle Logo Make us a Preferred Source to get more of our news when you search. [Add Preferred Source](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=sfchronicle.com) There’s a reason. During the 1964 presidential campaign, a magazine polled psychiatrists about Republican candidate Barry Goldwater’s mental fitness, and the majority pronounced him “unfit” for office. Did that influence public opinion? You bet. Article continues below this ad Therefore, in cautious response, the American Psychiatric Association passed the [Goldwater Rule](https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/goldwater-rule#:~:text=The%20Goldwater%20Rule%20is%20a,they%20have%20not%20personally%20evaluated.) barring psychiatrists from diagnosing or offering professional opinions about the mental health of any person they have not personally examined. The Goldwater Rule makes sense to prevent wild speculation and smearing of those in the public eye. It puts the brakes on unscrupulous labeling, diagnosing and scandalizing. But the rule backfires when psychiatrists are unable to communicate their professional knowledge when a presidential candidate poses a significant threat to American civilians. Could the ethical solution lay somewhere between? As a matter of course, in op-eds and on broadcast news programming, experts in nearly every other profession are asked to share their considerable perspectives and opinions to help inform the voting public, policymakers and government officials. But not so for psychiatrists, and by extension, for other health professionals or organizations mired in (or hiding behind) the Goldwater Rule. When psychiatrists are muzzled and disempowered to speak out, it harms society’s best interests. And what of an exception to the rule? Trump represents an exceptional candidate. I know I speak for dozens, perhaps hundreds, of mental health professionals in calling upon the American Psychiatric Association to reconsider the limitations of the Goldwater rule. Rules must evolve alongside society, not die in stuffy air chambers. Freedom of speech should not be so rigidly stifled. Soon after Trump’s election in 2016, an international coalition of prominent psychiatrists formed the [World Mental Health Coalition](https://worldmhc.org/) to address the issue of dangerous leadership and Trump’s “dangerous mental impairments.” In 2020, in response to Trump’s mismanagement of the coronavirus, the group released a “Prescription for Survival” requesting that Trump either sit for a mental health evaluation or resign, as he “is so gravely mentally incapacitated that he is an imminent danger to the nation.” They noted that Trump was making a global pandemic deadlier “not just through incompetence and ignorance, but through a dangerous detachment from reality, an inability to care for its citizens, a need to convey false information.” Article continues below this ad This courageous group stepped up because they felt an ethical obligation to the public and a “duty to warn” based on their knowledge and expertise. That’s exactly how experts should interface with politics. However, they are a very small minority in a sea of caution. What Americans need right now to make informed decisions at the ballot box is a new initiative from mental health professionals trained in analyzing human behavior, motivation, character and temperament. Love it or hate it, Americans need to hear that Trump is not fit for office and just why his antisocial behavior poses a significant threat to democratic leadership. About Opinion Guest opinions in **Open Forum and Insight** are produced by writers with expertise, personal experience or original insights on a subject of interest to our readers. **Their views do not necessarily reflect** the opinion of The Chronicle editorial board, which is committed to providing a diversity of ideas to our readership. There is a middle ground between slapping a diagnosis on a political figure in absolute terms and staying muzzled while the country tilts toward a return to leadership by an impaired individual who has now dragged out the oldest tactic in the book — accusing his opponent of his own vulnerabilities. Trump’s unique character, and his dangerous mental state, should not be treated with delicate restraint. Article continues below this ad More Opinions *Ariella Cook-Shonkoff is* *a licensed psychotherapist, art therapist and writer based in Berkeley.*

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