Depp’s Psychologist Testifies About Heard’s Health: Heard does not suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder

While the libel lawsuit is supposed to center on whether Depp was defamed in an article, most of the trial has focused on ugly details of the couple’s brief marriage

As the legal fight between her and ex-husband Johnny Depp continues to delve into the couple’s personal troubles, a forensic psychologist testified Tuesday that actor Amber Heard suffers from a borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder.

In Fairfax County Circuit Court, Depp is suing Heard for libel after she penned an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in which she referred to herself as “a public figure representing domestic abuse.” Although the story does not mention Depp by name, his lawyers claim it contains “defamation by implication” because it plainly references to domestic abuse charges made by heard when she filed for divorce in 2016.

The psychologist, Shannon Curry, was hired by Depp’s legal team. She said she reached her diagnosis during 12 hours of interviews with Heard, as well as from reviewing her mental-health records, says NBC New York.

Curry also testified that Heard does not suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as she has claimed due to her connection with Depp.

Curry’s evidence could help Depp’s lawyers prove that Heard was the aggressor in the couple’s tumultuous relationship. Depp testified about Heard’s “need for conflict” and her tendency to hound and pursue him during disputes when he tried to walk away and disengage.

The two personality disorders are similar, Curry said. Borderline personality is a disease of instability, she said “driven by an underlying fear of abandonment.” She said people with the disorder “will make desperate attempts to prevent that from happening.”

Audio excerpts of Heard imploring Depp not to leave and to stay with her after he expressed a wish to split up or separate were shown earlier in the trial.

Borderline personality disorder “seems to be a predictive factor for women who implement violence against their partner,” she added. Depp has claimed that he was the one who was the victim of domestic abuse, claiming that Heard repeatedly attacked him and threw paint cans and vodka bottles at him.

Curry claimed that histrionic personality disorder is linked to “drama and shallowness,” as well as a need to be the focus of attention.

She believes there is a link between the disease and people who are physically attractive and “utilize their looks to get that attention.”

According to NBC New York, Curry’s lawyers questioned her for possible bias during cross-examination, noting that she had dinner and drinks with Depp and his lawyers at Depp’s house before she was hired. Curry explained that it was just a normal part of the interviewing process.

Heard’s lawyers also highlighted evidence that Heard reported the abuse to her therapist and the couple’s marriage counselor at the same time.

Despite the fact that the libel lawsuit is meant to be about whether Depp was defamed in the article, the majority of the trial has been about the couple’s brief marriage.

Depp has stated that he never struck Heard. Heard’s lawyers claim Depp abused her physically and sexually, and that Depp’s denials are baseless because he was frequently drunk and high to the point of blacking out.

Tara Roberts, the manager of Depp’s private island in the Bahamas, testified earlier Tuesday. She stated that she had never seen Heard with any injuries. Her testimony also provided a glimpse into some of Depp’s lifestyle extravagances.

She claimed she was paid $120,000 to run the island, where Depp was seen driving a John Deere utility tractor. Though Depp was only there a few times a year, the island had a four-person staff, including Roberts. For the actor with whom Depp had previously collaborated, a section of the island’s shoreline was dubbed Brando Beach.

Roberts also testified about an event that occurred on a final family vacation on a yacht before it was sold to novelist J.K. Rowling.

On cross-examination, Roberts admitted that Depp passed out face-first in the sand and that she arranged for a helicopter to remove several people when the yacht trip became unpleasant.

Earlier evidence focused on events that took place at Depp’s five penthouses atop the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles.

The last person to testify Officer Melissa Saenz of the Los Angeles Police Department testified about her visit to the building in May 2016, two days before Heard filed for divorce and showed up in a courthouse with a huge mark on her face that she says came from a fight with Depp that night to seek a restraining order.

The officer said in a taped deposition that she observed Heard crying but saw no indication of an injury – Depp’s lawyers claim Saenz’s testimony proves Heard faked her injuries to harm Depp’s reputation.

Saenz could not recall many details of her interactions with Heard that night, but she did “remember being impressed by the penthouse, how big and beautiful it was.”