Johnny Depp Trial: Psychologist Hired by Depp Testifies About Amber Heard's Mental Health
A clinical and forensic psychologist hired by Johnny Depp's legal team testified after evaluating Amber Heard that the actress showed signs of borderline and histrionic personality disorders, but not post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Shannon Curry took the stand on day nine of Depp's $50 million defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife after she was asked to psychologically evaluate Heard in October 2021.
While she was not asked to evaluate Depp, Curry did review "all the case documents" as well as Heard's medical records, audio and video recordings, photos and witness statements. She also met with Heard for about 12 hours total on Dec. 10 and Dec. 17, 2021. "The results of Ms. Heard's evaluation supported two diagnoses: borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder," Curry said, via PEOPLE.
She continued that she found no evidence of PTSD during her evaluation, but added, "Just because somebody doesn't have PTSD doesn't mean that they weren't harmed psychologically by whatever is being alleged – in this case, Ms. Heard is alleging that she was psychologically harmed and that she suffered PTSD because of abuse that she alleges occurred by Mr. Depp."
Curry said she found the information to support her conclusions from "multiple sources" including a test she conducted and "evidence of those diagnoses in her records and in her self-report." Curry also testified that borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder can lead people to take on a "victim" or "princess" role with concocted stories. Curry testified that the personality type test results told her that Heard's "36 code type is very concerned with their image, very attention-seeking, very prone to externalizing blame to a point where it's unclear whether they can even admit to themselves that they do have responsibility in certain areas."
On cross-examination, Heard's attorney asked Curry if she was board-certified, and Curry answered that she is not. Curry was also questioned about having dinner and drinks at Depp's home before she was placed on retainer, to which the psychologist responded that the meeting was between herself and Depp's legal team, not the actor himself. "Don't you think that's a little odd that you're getting interviewed by Mr. Depp to decide whether you're going to testify adversely against Amber Heard?" Heard's attorney asked, to which Curry replied, "I was interviewed by the legal team."