Donald Trump scores very high on the psychopathy scale - even higher than most maximum security prisoners and serious offenders, psyhologists have claimed.

Last week, around 40 leading psychiatrists and national security experts met at the National Press Club in Washington DC to discuss the former president's mental capacity and ability to lead the US, should he win this year's election.

Dr. Bandy Lee and other eminent psychiatrists and mental health experts, who have been warning the country about the evidence of Donald Trump’s dangerousness and unfit mental state since 2017, recently released a book titled 'The More Dangerous Case of Donald Trump'. 

In it, the psychiatry experts found that Trump has demonstrated signs that could make him unsuitable and dangerous for the White House.

Using standardised, evidence-based, functional risk assessment tools, the experts assessed the 78-year-old's 'dangerousness'.

Trump received a score of 35 - prorated at 36, from a maximum score of 40 - on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised - which is 90% when converted into a percentage.

The Psychopathy Checklist tool, with a 20-item checklist, is commonly used to assess the presence and extent of psychopathy in individuals - most often those institutionalised in the criminal justice system.

In comparison, the doctors explained that the average score in the general population is five, while the average score for individuals in maximum security prisons is 22.

The typical cutoff to get a formal diagnosis of psychopathy is 30 - a high bar that even most serious criminals don’t meet.

Dr Brany Lee said: "When [a psychopathic] leader faces accountability, he is likely to become even more vengeful and dangerous. All these traits are exacerbated when they accompany rapid decline, as Donald Trump may be demonstrating openly and publicly.

"Mr. Trump’s threats should therefore be taken seriously, and his potential to cause catastrophic harm must be fully considered, given his potentially unique position of power."

During an interview with Democracy Now, Ms Lee said: "There is very little inhibition in place right now. Within five minutes of the commander-in-chief's orders, nuclear missiles could be launched without question."

Explaining how that relates to Trump's mental fitness, she said: "Of course his decision-making capacity. Having such levels of impulsivity.

"Having a loose grip on reality and being so fragile in his ability to cope with ordinary stresses such as basic criticisms or unflattering news."