Depp v Heard: Amber suffered from ‘histrionic and borderline personality disorders’ and ‘vastly exaggerated symptoms of PTSD’, court hears

Amber Heard suffered from “histrionic and borderline personality disorders” and “vastly exaggerated symptoms of PTSD,” according to a clinical and forensic psychologist who assessed her mental state following her split from Johnny Depp.

Dr. Shannon Curry told the court that she had originally approached him depthThe legal team to help determine if there was evidence of “intimate partner violence” within the couple’s relationship, but was then asked to complete “a psychological analysis” of the actress.

He said borderline personality disorder was “a predictor of women engaging in partner violence,” adding that “one tactic is to physically assault and then hurt yourself…then use the legal system…for example , use a restraining order.” “.

It is widely known that Heard filed a temporary restraining order against Johnny Depp in May 2016.

Here are some of the key points from the ninth day of witnessing:

• Bahamas real estate manager says he saw Depp with ‘bruised nose’ after actor said Heard ‘threw a can at him’
• Court hears Heard called Depp ‘a failed actor’ who would ‘die a lonely fat old man’
• Describes the disastrous family trip with Depp’s children on a yacht that was later sold to JK Rowling
• Police officer says he saw no signs of domestic violence after alleged incident in Los Angeles
• The couple’s relationship is again labeled as ‘toxic’
• Catch up on what has been said so far in our live reports of the trial as it happens

‘Taking a role of victim or princess’

Dr. Curry also said that histrionic personality disorder patients were “very, very interested in their appearance” and frequently used it “to get what they wanted.” She said it was common for people with such personality disorders to take on “a victim or princess role,” sometimes making up stories to “get respect and attention that way.”

He clarified that a “personality disorder” was an “enduring trait” that affected “every facet of a person’s life,” as opposed to mental disorders such as depression, which he said were “episodic” and “come on and off.” they disappeared.”

He listed what he considered to be some of Heard’s personality traits, including “passive-aggressive behavior and self-indulgent, self-centered behavior”, as well as being “full of rage, inner rage and guilt”.

Dr. Curry said that she believed that Heard’s personality disorders preceded her relationship with Depp and would not have arisen from her relationship with him. She said that she could have been caused by a “childhood trauma”.

Heard’s team later said that the actress’s behavior patterns in no way suggested that Depp’s allegations of abuse against her were false.

And with the focus on Depp during cross-examination, Dr. Curry was also asked if “Mr. Depp suffered from any personality disorder.” She said that it was not her job to assess that.

In addition, the clinical and forensic psychologist described Heard as having “grossly exaggerated symptoms of PTSD,” saying that when the questions she asked “seemed random,” she believed Heard was trying to “minimize” any impression of a disorder, but when the questions they did to her revolved around the trauma she felt Heard would “exaggerate.”

She said the actress had initially claimed to suffer from 19 of 20 PTSD symptoms, which she said would not even be “typical of someone suffering from even the most disabling form of PTSD.”

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

Dr. Curry said her analysis of Heard was based on reviewing a series of medical and legal documents and two in-person meetings with Heard in December 2021, which she said totaled 12 hours.

He said he used “the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Volume 2” (MMPI2) to arrive at his diagnoses (a series of 567 true or false statements) and that it was “the most widely used assessment worldwide by mental health professionals and in forensic settings for the pitch.”

Calling Heard “the code 36 guy,” he said such individuals exhibited traits that included “a lot of cruelty, being very self-conscious, very attention-seeking, and prone to externalizing blame to the point where it’s not clear if They can admit to themselves that they have certain responsibilities.

He also said that they had “a lot of pent-up anger that can explode and problems within their relationships.”

The doctor went on to say that this person was “terrified of abandonment” and would do almost anything to avoid it.

‘Dinner and drinks’ with Depp and muffins with Heard

However, during cross-examination of Dr. Curry of Heard’s team, the “highly irregular” practice of meeting with a subject in litigation was mentioned, with the doctor’s decision to go to “dinner and drinks” at Depp’s home before accepting to work for criticized him.

Heard’s attorney, Elaine Bredehoft, also said the doctor was “so excited [about taking on the high-profile case] that she told her husband she was going to test Amber Heard” even though it was “a highly confidential matter”.

Dr. Curry said that was not the case, simply asking her husband to “pick up muffins because he was running late,” adding that she and Heard “enjoyed the muffins together.”

Heard’s team also told her that they would not have hired her to testify if they hadn’t discovered that the actress suffered from some kind of disorder. Dr. Curry refuted that theory, saying that her diagnoses were based on tests.

‘A Failed Actor… You’ll Die a Lonely Fat Old Man’

The court also heard remote testimony from Tara Roberts, the manager of Depp’s residence in the Bahamas. She told Depp’s legal team that she had seen the couple arguing on the island and heard Heard tell Depp, “You’re a failed actor… You’ll die a fat lonely old man.”

She says Depp accused Heard of “hitting me with a can” and that she had “bruises on the bridge of her nose.”

During the fight, Ms. Roberts said she could see Heard “clawing, grabbing [Depp’s] clothes…trying to yank him back viciously”, while Depp “didn’t react” and “just stood there with his arms at his sides” doing nothing.

He said he took Depp away from the situation to a cafe on the island, where he put an ice pack on his nose and “slept the rest of the morning.”

JK Rowling’s future yacht

During cross-examination by Heard’s team, Ms. Roberts was asked about “a trip on the yacht that Depp was going to sell to JK Rowling.”

The court was told that this was a day in July 2013 when Depp, Heard and Depp’s two children, Lily-Rose and Jack, were on a trip together, but Lily-Rose was upset that her father was drinking and trying to hide it. her.” she A helicopter had to be arranged to pick her up from the yacht.

Mrs. Roberts confirmed that this happened. She was also asked to confirm another time Depp “passed out on his face in the sand” in front of his son Jack. She said it did happen and helped Depp into a hammock and left him to recover, however she said she doesn’t know if Jack was “upset” about it as she didn’t talk to him about it afterwards. .

Ms. Roberts also testified that she lived on her own property and not with Depp on the island, so she “wouldn’t know if Mr. Depp was doing drugs and I wouldn’t know if Mr. Depp was drinking.” However, she said that she would know who consumed what “by cleaning… Of what was in the trash and what was left out…”

She confirmed that the actor had “a high tolerance for alcohol.”

Police officer on scene

We also heard from an LAPD officer who attended Depp’s Los Angeles penthouse on May 21, 2016, after Depp and Heard allegedly got into a fight, and Heard’s legal team says a mobile phone was thrown at her. actress face.

In a recorded statement, officer Melissa Saenz repeatedly told Depp and Heard’s legal teams that she “had seen or heard nothing that caused her to believe that a crime had been committed or that an act of domestic violence had occurred.”

She said that was why she had not filled out an incident report, even though it is police policy to file reports on any suspected incidents of domestic abuse.

Officer Saenz testified that she was unable to see evidence of a mess in Depp’s penthouse or injuries to Heard. Depp was not at the apartment when the officer attended.

Depp v Heard – the background

Depp is suing his ex-wife for $50m (£38.2m), over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018 that her lawyers say falsely implies he physically and sexually abused her.

Heard has issued a counterclaim for $100 million (£76.4 million).

The former couple began dating after meeting on the set of the 2011 film The Rum Diary and married in Los Angeles in February 2015.

Ms. Heard’s article in the Washington Post did not mention Depp by name, but was headlined: “Spoke out against sexual violence and faced the wrath of our culture.”

The trial in Fairfax County, Virginia, is scheduled to last six weeks.