Psychiatrists should refrain from commenting on Donald Trump's ability to serve as president, according to a release from the American Psychiatric Association.

Marina Oquendo, the president of the association, wrote this week that members should not comment on the mental state of anyone whom they haven't personally evaluated, including presidential candidates.

"We live in an age where information on a given individual is easier to access and more abundant than ever before, particularly if that person happens to be a public figure. With that in mind, I can understand the desire to get inside the mind of a presidential candidate," Oquendo said. "I can also understand how a patient might feel if they saw their doctor offering an uninformed medical opinion on someone they have never examined.

"A patient who sees that might lose confidence in their doctor, and would likely feel stigmatized by language painting a candidate with a mental disorder (real or perceived) as 'unfit' or 'unworthy' to assume the presidency," she continued.

The prohibition comes from the Goldwater Rule, created in 1973 after more than 1,000 psychiatrists who had never met with GOP presidential nominee Sen. Barry Goldwater said he was unfit to serve as president.

"Simply put, breaking the Goldwater Rule is irresponsible, potentially stigmatizing, and definitely unethical," Oquendo wrote. "I encourage you all to read the full text of the rule ... and keep it in mind during this election cycle, and other events of similarly intense public interest."

Trump has also recently called Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton's mental state into question. The ban on talking about a candidate's mental state covers all public figures.