President Anura ‘Mental Illness’ Claim Is False, Psychiatrist Never Examined Him

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A post styled as breaking news claimed that Sri Lanka’s President had been diagnosed with three serious mental illnesses, and that the government itself had confirmed it. The posts said Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa announced that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had undergone his annual physical and mental health examination last week, was in very good physical health, and had been diagnosed by psychiatrist Chamara Wijesinghe with Schizoaffective Disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder and Delusional Disorder. A minister, a named psychiatrist and news channel branding made the claim look official. Here are the posts that carried it.

Social Media Posts :

Facebook | Archived Link  Facebook | Archived Link

Fact-Check :

Minister Nalinda Jayatissa Made No Such Statement

We checked the Cabinet decisions media briefing held on 29 September to see whether Minister Nalinda Jayatissa made a statement like this about the President. He made no such statement at the briefing. We also searched for any other occasion on which the minister might have said it and found nothing. When contacted, Minister Nalinda confirmed that the claim was completely fake.

Psychiatrist Chamara Wijesinghe Said He Never Examined the President

Chamara Wijesinghe is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, and a consultant psychiatrist. We contacted him by phone. He said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had never met him and had never been examined by him.

Wijesinghe said the posts were completely false. He added that he had lodged a complaint about them with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Newsfirst Did Not Publish the Story

One post said the minister made the statement to News 1st, and the other graphic carried the News 1st logo. However, the story did not appear on Newsfirst’s official Facebook page. We asked Newsfirst’s digital manager, who confirmed that the story was fake and that the media institution had published nothing of the kind.

This was not the first such attempt to target the President. Earlier, a similar false medical document had been circulated using a forged Asiri Health letterhead. The hospital’s management rejected it immediately and issued statements. Our fact-check on that report is below.

The Prescription Showing Anura Has Depression Is a Fabricated Report!

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Conclusion :

Our investigation found that the claim in the viral posts is false. Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa did not say, at a Cabinet media briefing or anywhere else, that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake had been diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder, Cyclothymic Disorder or Delusional Disorder.

Minister Jayatissa confirmed that the statement was fake. Psychiatrist Chamara Wijesinghe, who was named as the examining doctor, confirmed that he had never examined the President and had complained to the CID. Newsfirst’s digital manager also confirmed that the media institution had published no such report.