Mark McDonald ~ The Liberty Forum ~ 2-8-2022

United States of Fear: Recovery From Mass Delusional Psychosis

February 8, 2022

In 2020, America fell victim to a mass delusional psychosis. The Liberty Forum is proud to present Dr. Mark McDonald, the first person to diagnose and popularize this phenomenon in talks and interviews on platforms ranging from radio shows (Dennis Prager's Ultimate Issues Hour) to social media, podcasts and now on mainstream news outlets (Tucker Carlson Tonight). While Dr. McDonald is one of the most sought-after guests (he receives more interview requests than he can accommodate, and we were lucky enough to book him before his meteoric rise), the effects of CVD-19 policy linger catastrophically. In fact, the failed policies of the past two years continue to drive societies, as our ruling class capitalizes on consolidating power by exacerbating a pandemic of irrational fear in the population. Every American has been victimized, and the psychological damage has been catastrophic. There is a way forward—a personal and national recovery from fear that embraces courage and critical thinking. As we begin the year 2022, Americans are ready to begin that road to recovery.

As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, LA-based psychiatrist Mark McDonald grew increasingly concerned by the negative mental health effects he witnessed among his patients—and Americans nationwide. These negative effects—stress, anxiety, depression, addiction, domestic violence, suicidal ideation—were all directly traceable to the climate of fear being stoked by public health authorities and irresponsibly amplified by national media. These fears in turn drove a hysterical overreaction from government in the form of draconian lockdowns and mask and vaccine mandates of questionable value. But the fear did not abate and quickly took on a life of its own, becoming an unstoppable force in all our lives. At last McDonald began to speak out, explaining that America is actually suffering from two pandemics: a viral one and a psychological one, a “pandemic of fear” that is in many ways more dangerous and damaging than the virus itself. Rooted in the natural anxieties of women on behalf of their children and families, inflamed and amplified by sensationalistic media, and driven over the top by ham-fisted authoritarian measures from those in power, McDonald diagnoses the country at large as suffering from a mass delusional psychosis. This is not a metaphor. The malady itself is very real. Whether we can regain our collective sanity as a society remains to be seen.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER: Dr. Mark McDonald was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from UC Berkeley before attending medical school at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Trained in adult, child and adolescent psychiatry at UCLA, he now works primarily with children in private practice in west Los Angeles. Dr. McDonald has lived and worked in Europe, Asia, and Central America. His opinions on topics such as the need to re-open America’s schools and the pandemic of fear in the United States today have been widely published in local and national news, including the Wall Street Journal and The Federalist. He published his first book, United States of Fear, in November 2021.