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The current court case occurring between Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard has unveiled lots of details about what happened during their relationship. As the trial continues, many witnesses including Depp have taken the stand to provide their accounts of what occurred. On Tuesday, a psychologist hired by the actor shared important information regarding Heard’s mental health. 

Johnny Depp is suing Amber Heard for defamation

Johnny Depp sits to testify in a defamation case against his ex-wife Amber Heard
Johnny Depp | STEVE HELBER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

In 2018, Heard published an op-ed in The Washington Post where she labeled herself as a domestic abuse victim. While she did not name Depp specifically, Depp claims that it was referring to him since she filed for divorce and a restraining order two years prior, alleging he abused her. 

In 2020, Depp lost a libel lawsuit against UK tabloid The Sun. After losing this lawsuit, Depp lost his role as Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts movies as Warner Bros. distanced itself from the actor. 

Depp has denied all allegations of abuse and is currently suing Heard for $50 million for defamation. He is claiming that these allegations have ruined his career. Heard is countersuing the Pirates of the Caribbean star for $100 million after Depp’s lawyer called her accusations a hoax, according to The Washington Post. Her team is arguing that drugs and alcohol are what damaged his career. 

A psychologist hired by Johnny Depp’s team says Amber Heard has symptoms of borderline personality disorder

On Tuesday, Shannon Curry, a clinical and forensic psychologist, testified to the court. The Washington Post shared the details of what Curry shared. Curry was asked by Depp’s legal team to provide a psychological evaluation of Heard in 2021. 

After a 12-hour evaluation where Curry also examined Heard’s medical records, exhibits, and testimony from the case, the psychologist suggested two possible diagnoses: borderline personality disorder and histrionic disorder.

According to Curry, people with borderline personality disorder have a “fear of abandonment,” and will analyze situations that they see as an offense. They’ll exaggerate situations in their head and “explode and react.”

Curry said that histrionic disorder is “two sides of the same coin.” The main factor of histrionic disorder is that those who have it will always seek to be the center of attention. If they’re not they could make up stories where they take on the role of a victim. Curry also said that Heard claims to have suffered from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) from Depp’s abuse, but Curry’s evaluation did not find that Heard had PTSD.

Is Shannon Curry a biased witness for Johnny Depp?

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During the cross-examination, Heard’s lawyer Elaine Bredehoft asked if it was odd that Curry had drinks with Depp’s legal team at Depp’s house before being hired. Curry said that this was just a part of the interview process and that the legal team was just trying to make an informed decision. 

Bredehoft also brought up the idea that Curry would most likely not be asked to testify if her findings were more favorable towards Heard than for Depp. The lawyer then asked Curry if she had read the testimony from other doctors who believed Heard had experienced physical abuse from Depp. Curry replied saying she had reviewed the testimonies, but “psychologists are not investigators,” so she is not aware of any violence happening. 

How to get help: To connect with mental health resources near you, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website.

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