Clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Shannon Curry (left) described her medical evaluation Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's relationship as she took the stand in the defamation trial Tuesday
Depp's legal team called expert witness Dr. Shannon Curry to the stand on Tuesday as the Hollywood star's highly publicized defamation trial against his ex-wife entered its ninth day.
The clinical and forensic psychologist told the court she concluded Heard had traits consistent with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD) - two conditions found in people with patterns of emotional instability and attention-seeking behavior.
Dr. Curry testified that she was initially hired by Depp's lawyers early last year to review files in the legal battle between the two feuding exes and identify behavior in their relationship that may be consistent with 'intimate partner violence'.
The psychology expert, however, revealed her role would shift several months later in October, when she was asked to provide a psychological evaluation of Heard, 36.
'The results of Ms. Heard's evaluation supported two diagnoses: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Histrionic Personality Disorder (HPD),' Curry told the court.
BPD, also known as emotional dysregulation disorder, is a mental disorder that impacts a person's ability to regulate their emotions and behavior and therefore negatively affects his or her relationships with others.
Meanwhile, HPD, which also falls under the umbrella of 'dramatic' personality disorder like BPD, is characterized by a pattern of attention-seeking behavior and egocentrism.
Through her evaluation, Dr. Curry said she concluded that Heard had 'grossly exaggerated' the post-traumatic stress the actress claimed to have suffered from her relationship with Depp and said that in the actress's eyes, the actor went from being 'idealized to the dumpster.'
She noted that Heard's BPD was marked by an 'underlying terror of abandonment' and somebody with the condition tends to make 'desperate attempts' to stop it from happening.
These could be 'very extreme behaviors', she said.
As a result of these disorders, Curry explained, somebody like Heard could appear charming at the start of a friendship or relationship but could then turn dark easily.
'You'll see relationships start very intensely, extremely close,' she said.
'This might be their perfect soulmate and initially everything seems great but reality sets in, people are not perfect.
'Most of us accept people as a whole, [but] with a person with BPD, things are in these extremes, that person goes from being idealized to dumpster, they are totally devalued, they're the worst....then there will be a repair because the person with this disorder does feel remorse.'
Somebody with BPD is usually 'very, very interested in looks and utilizes their looks to get the respect they're looking for,' she added.
Heard, who wore a cream-colored blazer and styled her hair in a crown braid, sat quietly alongside her legal team during Dr. Curry's testimony, and at times was seen jotting down notes.
She did not look up as the doctor confirmed her diagnoses but appeared to shift uncomfortably and at one point rolled her eyes when the expert described the characteristics of such disorders.
According to Curry's diagnosis, Heard was a 'sophisticated' and 'calculated' case of BPD, somebody who would 'tend to hit you where it hurts a bit more' and be 'very, very destructive.'
Dr. Curry also explained that people with BPD have identity issues and tend to change their interests and values constantly.
'They take on the personality of the people they want to be around. The way they dress. Interest. The way they talk,' she told the court.
Heard was speculated to have displayed such behavior last week, when social media users pointed out that the actress seemed to be copying Depp's courtroom outfits and hairstyles.
Users claimed Heard had been purposely wearing ensembles that look similar to ones that Depp previously wore during the trial, in an attempt to 'play mind games' on him.
Dr. Curry went on to explain the hallmarks of HPD in a person, which include an 'overly dramatic presentation' and 'quick shifts between emotions' such as going from very animated to sad.
Those with HPD had a 'hypersensitivity to being slighted' and could melt down in the middle of a restaurant if somebody showed up two minutes late, she said.
'They will make a lot of accusations, reactivity, a lot of escalation, they can react aggressively, physically prevent partners from trying to leave.
'Often they will be abusive to their partners, sometimes physically restrain them.'
Somebody such as Heard lived a life marked by 'drama and shallowness,' she added.
The underlying drive was to 'always be the center of attention' and without it a person with HPD would feel 'pretty empty.'
While making her assessment, Curry explained she reviewed various materials in the case, including Heard's medical records, mental health treatment records, court exhibits, witness statements, as well as audio and video recordings.
She also met with the Aquaman actress for several hours over the course of two separate dates in December 2021 before finally coming to a diagnosis.
She also revealed she was not asked to provide the same evaluation for Depp.
The court heard two instances from Heard's medical notes which illustrated her condition.
Firstly she admitted she had cut her arm in the past which was a 'typical thing' that somebody with BPD does.
Heard's former friend Rocky Pennington told how they were once out shopping for Thanksgiving items and Heard struck her face 'out of the blue.'
Dr. Curry said that could happen if Heard decided Pennington wasn't meeting her 'needs' and lashed out.
Comment: See also:
When asked whether or not Heard had PTSD as a result of her relationship with Depp, Dr. Curry said no.
In fact Heard was 'grossly exaggerating symptoms of PTSD' and claimed to have 19 out of a list of 20 conditions.
She testified that according to one test Heard was in the 98th percentile for exaggerating her PTSD which indicated she had 'engaged in extreme levels of exaggeration.'
Dr. Curry said that was 'not typical even of somebody with the most disabling form of PTSD' and that they dialed the number of issues down to three.
They were sleep disturbance, an extended feeling of being startled and recurring nightmares that Heard was being 'held down'.
But even then there was evidence these issues were in place before Heard and Depp got together, Dr. Curry said.
Heard said that when she first moved to Los Angeles she suffered from 'blanket anxiety and depression', the jury heard.
Summing up her interactions with Heard, Dr. Curry said she was 'very likable' but her testing showed she 'approached it in a manner that very clearly minimized any psychological dysfunction but presented herself as free of problems and did so in a way that was not obvious'.
The expert's testimony is set to help bolster Depp's claims that his ex-wife falsely accused him of physically and sexually abusing her in a 2018 Washington Post op-ed, and that Heard was allegedly the true abuser.
Heard on the other hand has claimed Depp is smearing her by accusing her of lying in the article - and is countersuing for $100million.
Under cross examination, Dr. Curry admitted that she thought Depp was a good actor and that she had enjoyed a four-hour dinner with him and his lawyers before being hired.
Heard's lawyer Elaine Bredehoft questioned Curry's decision to sit down for a 'three-to four-hour dinner' with Depp and his legal team at his home before taking the case.
'Don't you think that's a little odd you're getting interviewed by Mr. Depp to decide if you'll testify adversely against Amber Heard?' Bredehoft asked.
Dr. Curry insisted that she was interviewed by Depp's legal team.
Bredehort said: 'You'd seen a number of his TV and movie roles and you thought he (Depp) was a good actor?'
Dr. Curry said: 'Yes'.
The court heard that Dr. Curry has never since had dinner with a client before being hired as an expert witness.
Bredehoft said: 'You justified it was OK because it was a high profile case?'
Dr. Curry said: 'I sought consultation about it.
'This is a very visible case, it's been going on for a very long time and I knew there was a need to interview me and make an informed decision about my qualifications.'
The trial has sparked much intrigue online, as revelations about the abuse Depp allegedly suffered at the hands of Heard come to light, with some Twitter users noticing the actress's quick-changing and 'unnatural' facial expressions during her ex-husband's testimony
While taking the stand in the trial in Fairfax, Virginia, Depp, 58, has claimed over the past week that Heard abused him, and recounted how she once allegedly became angry at him for taking off his own boots instead of allowing her to do it, and how she allegedly severed one of his fingers.
He told jurors how he and Heard had a routine in which she would take off his boots and give him a glass of wine when he returned from work - and one time when he broke that routine by taking off his own boots, she became irate.
Throughout the trial, Heard could be seen talking to her lawyers, as her face expression seems to change - at one point seemingly smirking after apparently looking afraid.
On Monday Twitter user Trish Lee wrote that those 'facial expressions frighten me,' calling the Aquaman actress a 'psychopath,' while Hasan Ibn Munawara Bint Sufiya said her 'facial expressions, attitude, her whole demeanor during this trial is like the mean girls in high school.
'She's such an abusive, vile, narcissistic person,' he said. 'Everything she accused Johnny of doing was actually what she did to him.'
Lisa, meanwhile, wrote that she 'can't wait for all the clips of Amber Heard's reactions to sustained objections and blatant disconnect between her facial expressions,' and Kate said: 'The way Amber Heard changed her facial expressions so quickly during the trial is actually terrifying.'
Others also took aim at her acting skills for the odd expressions.
Lewis Johnston, for example, wrote: 'They say that Amber Heard has NO personality and with these facial expressions you can see why,' while another user claimed she was acting like a non-player character in a video game.
'She's full on making facial expressions like she's a Sims character,' he wrote, as another accused her of 'trying to come off as the victim in her facial expressions.'
The trial is expected to last another five to six weeks, with celebrities like Paul Bettany and James Franco set to testify.
Comment: See MindMatters: Joshua Slocum: We're Living in a Cluster B World for more information on BPD and histrionics: