"Who is the President of the United States?" What to consider for a Mental Status Examination of American families


It is a common question for somebody suffering from amnesia in the movies, and part of the Mental Status Exam administered by physicians in real life too. “Who is the President of the United States?” The question attempts to explore an even deeper reality. How attached is a person to a single thread in the fabric of history?

They may not remember who they are, or their own name, but if a character could name the current occupant of the White House we knew they weren’t lost beyond time and space. I imagine the same is true today, but it may depend on how you ask the question. From the interviews I have seen so far, even good people who deny the results of the most recent presidential election affirm the fact that Joe Biden lives in the White House.    

There are two ways to rewrite your family story. Both ways involve repeating the same story over and over again. Those are the basics of identity formation for young children the world over, and for families and nations as well, one way or the other.
 
One way is to start repeating that nothing is true, that facts that seem important are not important, and your daily life is not important. All that matters about your family story is that you do not have to worry about being separated from your family. All that matters is the connection you have with the leader of your family because they are the only one who will defend you from any threats, and the only way to stay safe is to trust them. 
 
The other way is to accept everything that happens as a fact, and trust in your ability to deal with what is happening. The facts as you understand them are important, and your daily life matters. What you do with your life is what keeps you connected with people in your family who may not even be alive any more, or may have yet to be born. 
 
Without trust in yourself you are lost, because nobody but you knows what you know. If anybody tells you they are the only one who knows which way to lead your family and you don’t feel safe, why would you believe them? Saying there is no truth in what you know means that your family story is not for you to tell. The question is, who better to tell your family story than you?  
 
So what happens if you have lost your memory, and the first thing you know is that you are offered a choice of who trust - yourself, or someone who cares more about you than anyone else in the world? What is the right question to ask yourself, no matter what you believe about the results of the election? What are the facts?


* GODSPEED stands for “Gather Only Data in Sync with the Purpose of Every Excellent Deed.”

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