Disinhibition of Donald Trump (Chapter: Understanding the symptoms)

 

Headline:  Mediaite, 1/20/2026

Colby Hall opines:

One of the earliest and most underreported warning signs of certain forms of dementia is not memory loss. It is disinhibition — a deterioration of impulse control, judgment, and social restraint that often manifests as reckless behavior, inappropriate speech, and diminished concern for consequences. By the time forgetfulness becomes obvious, the disease process is often well underway. 

That framework matters because it closely tracks what President Donald Trump has been displaying with increasing frequency.

Disinhibition as defined at verywellmind:

Disinhibition is saying or doing something on a whim, without thinking in advance of what could be the unwanted or even dangerous result. There’s also another way to think of disinhibition: as reduced control over your impulses, or urges, which means being unable to stop, delay, or change (“inhibit”) an action that is not appropriate for the situation you’re in. 

Disinhibition is the opposite of inhibition, which means being in control of the way you respond to what’s going on around you.

Mayo Clinic offers a more clinical name for it:  frontaltemporal dementia

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is an umbrella term for a group of brain diseases that mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain are associated with personality, behavior and language. 

In frontotemporal dementia, parts of these lobes shrink, known as atrophy. Symptoms depend on which part of the brain is affected. Some people with frontotemporal dementia have changes in their personalities. They become socially inappropriate and may be impulsive or emotionally indifferent. Others lose the ability to properly use language.  [emphasis added]

Frontotemporal dementia can be misdiagnosed as a mental health condition or as Alzheimer's disease. But FTD tends to occur at a younger age than does Alzheimer's disease. It often begins between the ages of 40 and 65, although it can occur later in life as well. FTD is the cause of dementia about 10% to 20% of the time.