'Donald Trump appears to be psychotic' as pressure overwhelms him: psychiatrist

According to a former clinical professor of psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center, a combination of age and the pressures Donald Trump is facing as he attempts to fend off multiple criminal indictments not only makes him dangerous — he's also close to a mental collapse.

In an interview with Salon's Chauncey DeVega, Dr. Justin Frank, author of "Trump on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President," bluntly stated "Donald Trump appears to be psychotic" after reflecting on recent outbursts during the E. Jean Carroll defamation trial that led to a stunning $83.3 million damage award.

Asked about what is going on with the former president who is being swamped by the onslaught of court cases, Frank suggested any vestige of a civil veneer Trump may have projected is long gone, and people are seeing him for who he truly is.

"From the time Trump was five years old, he hated rules and couldn't control himself. If Trump didn't like something, he would convert feelings into immediate action. He threw rocks at a toddler who lived next door when he was five. He punched out his second-grade teacher because he got mad at him. As a father, Trump knocked out his son, Don Jr., when he was in high school because he wasn't dressed appropriately," Frank recalled before adding, "Trump has always been like this."

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"As people age, they generally do not change; they instead become more of their true selves," he further explained. "His capacity for self-restraint is becoming a thinner veneer over fundamental destructiveness. He is increasingly no longer able to fake it. This is why Trump is in court acting out, mumbling, being angry and disruptive."

After expressing concerns over a Rolling Stone report on the copious amounts of drugs that were dispensed by the Trump White House's pharmacy, including ketamine that is "used to treat severe depression," Frank expressed alarm at Trump's decline.

"Trump is extremely dangerous. Trump does not believe in laws and rules. He wants to be a lawless dictator. This is why I continue to share my conclusion, based on the evidence, that Donald Trump appears to be psychotic," he said.

"He is a person who is detached from reality. Even with the trials and other pressures, Trump is not capable of breaking down, of being cowed and/or broken. If anything, Trump will go down in flames if he goes down at all. Trump is an extreme narcissist who will destroy anyone who has ever done anything to hurt him, to oppose him, or defy him."

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