America is becoming a powder keg. It’ll only take one spark for it all to go sky high.
And now threats of political violence just took a dramatic turn that no one was prepared for.
Backlash After Public Discussion
A psychotherapist from Manhattan reports receiving numerous hateful communications, some including threats to his life, following his open comments on treating clients he identifies as dealing with “Trump derangement syndrome.”
Jonathan Alpert, who penned the upcoming book “Therapy Nation,” encountered this negative response after his appearance on Fox News to elaborate on his November 12 opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal. In it, he described clients from various political backgrounds who mention President Donald Trump during sessions, “not to discuss policy but to process obsession, rage and dread.” Alpert provided Fox News Digital with examples of the texts and emails he received in the days following.
“Eat s— and die you r-cist fascist piece of s—… f—ing uneducated MAGA scumbag,” one message read.
“Ped-phile protector,” another said.
“You’re a lowlife, worthless fraudulent piece of s— ped-phile who decent people hope is slaughtered, and the video is posted to YouTube,” a third message read.
Reflecting on the outpouring, Alpert described it as overwhelming in a conversation with Fox News Digital. “It’s been intense,” he said. “I expected disagreement, but I didn’t expect the level of hostility, especially from people in the mental health field.” He highlighted the irony in the responses.
“What has stood out is the contradiction,” he added. “Many of the people who speak the most about empathy, tolerance and inclusion reacted with the least of it. That reversal tells us something about how emotionally charged politics has become.”
Defining the Psychological Pattern
In his segment on “The Faulkner Focus” aired on November 14, Alpert portrayed “Trump derangement syndrome” as more than mere political rhetoric—it’s a genuine behavioral trend he’s witnessed among clients. “This is a profound pathology, and I would even go so far as to call it the defining pathology of our time,” he stated on the show.
“People are obsessed with Trump. They’re hyper-fixated on him. They can’t sleep, they feel restless, they feel traumatized by Mr. Trump.” He shared an anecdote about a client whose holiday was ruined because sightings of Trump in media or on devices left her “triggered.”
From his observations, Alpert estimates that roughly 75% of his clientele exhibits signs of what he terms TDS, though he stresses it’s not limited to one political side.
“Trump derangement syndrome is not a diagnosis,” he clarified. “It’s not a way of labeling someone’s political beliefs as a mental illness. People can support or oppose Trump for all kinds of rational reasons. What I’m describing is an emotional pattern, not an ideology. It shows up when someone’s political feelings become so intense and consuming that they start to interfere with their daily life.”
Evolving Emotional Responses and Expert Views
Alpert has observed heightened anxiety and sensitivity around Trump compared to his initial presidency in 2017, indicating a shift in handling political differences. “People aren’t separating disagreement from threat anymore,” he explained, noting that the integration of therapeutic terms into everyday dialogue has amplified issues.
“Instead of saying ‘I disagree,’ people say ‘I’m triggered’ or ‘I feel unsafe,’” Alpert went on. “Those words escalate everything. They frame the other person as dangerous rather than different, and they shut down discussion.”
He argues that opinions on Trump, whether favorable or critical, often evolve into core elements of personal identity and ethics. “It stops being a political opinion and starts becoming a psychological stance,” he noted.
“That identity piece is what keeps the emotional intensity alive.” Once these views start affecting rest, emotional well-being, or interpersonal connections, they cross into problematic territory, according to Alpert. His therapeutic approach focuses on distinguishing emotions from reality, building resilience to unease, and ensuring feelings don’t dominate existence.
Through highlighting these patterns, Alpert aims to spark dialogue on the impact of today’s polarized environment on psychological health and promote better coping strategies.
He mentioned receiving encouraging notes from those who recognize TDS in their circles. “What I’m seeing clinically is that many patients are relieved to talk with someone who isn’t afraid to name what’s happening,” he shared with Fox News Digital.
Nevertheless, some in the field urge restraint in framing political sentiments as disorders. Responding to Alpert’s article via a letter to the editor, Baltimore psychiatrist Dr. Robin Weiss concurred that therapists should aid clients in maintaining balance amid politics but emphasized the responsibility to “document societal harm when we see it,” referencing a public health employee facing job insecurity from national budget reductions.
