Books by Dr. Mark McDonald
United States of Fear
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded, LA-based psychiatrist Dr. 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 hamfisted 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.
United States of Fear
Psychiatrist Dr. Mark McDonald diagnoses our country as suffering from a mass delusional psychosis, driven by a pandemic of fear in response to COVID-19.
Freedom From Fear
Even as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes, some people just cannot let go of their fear. And as before, they still seek to impose it onto others. In his latest book, Freedom From Fear, Dr. Mark McDonald applies his well-honed psychological acuity to the undiagnosed problem of fear addiction in America.
Just like a drug, fear can be compulsive, and its insidious affects are all around us. In Freedom From Fear, McDonald presents an indispensable twelve-step guide to personal and national recovery. His precepts include simple but practical steps like “face the mirror,” “don’t be a sheep,” “choose reality,” “reject narcissism,” “think for yourself,” “embrace adulthood,” “pay attention,” and “embrace fearless leadership.”
With bracing candor and deep empathy, McDonald once again draws on his experience as a physician to diagnose our natural affliction, and show us the way out.
Freedom From Fear
On the heels of his bestselling United States of Fear, arguing that America is in the grip of a profound mental health crisis brought on by protracted lockdowns, social distancing, and masking, Dr. Mark McDonald follows up with a practical guide to personal and national recovery.