Depp reacts to ‘narcissistic insult’ by pursuing civil lawsuit, witness says

Depp suffered a “narcissistic insult” and is going after Heard, via a civil lawsuit, in hopes of getting his name back, Dr. David R. Spiegel said in testimony Monday.

“To some degree, this whole trial is that, in terms of narcissism, narcissistic insult is what’s going on,” Spiegel said. “I believe Mr. Depp was truly a pillar, rightly so, in Hollywood, and then that cut the rug.”

Witness says he offers no ‘armchair diagnosis’ of Depp

The witness, Dr. David R. Spiegel, said Monday that his opinions of Depp fell well within the guidelines of the Goldwater Rule, which prohibits “armchair” psychiatric diagnoses.

The defense asked Spiegel to define the Goldwater Rule, which prohibits psychiatrists from publicly commenting on the mental well-being of individuals without having undergone an examination or having received “appropriate authorization”.

Spiegel said he offered no “armchair diagnosis” of Depp on his cognitive well-being.

“That’s not the case here,” Spiegel said. “I went through a lot of professionals, a lot of professionals and assessments and their treatment journeys, video depositions, image depositions, court documents, emails. I went through a lot of things that describe Mr. Depp and his behavior.”

The Goldwater Rule became part of the medical ethics guidelines after then-presidential candidate Barry Goldwater’s mental health became a major campaign issue in 1964.

Depp shows signs of slower ‘processing speed’ and impulse control, witness says

Substance use led Depp to have a slower “processing speed” and lack of impulse control, a psychiatrist told jurors on Monday.

“During the video deposition, what was evident was a gentleman who had a significant delay in processing speed,” testified Dr. David R. Spiegel. “When you have a delay in processing speed, many other cognitive functions will follow.”

Under normal conditions, Depp is able to control himself, but the addition of chronic drugs and alcohol use has led to unwanted behaviors, he said.

“I think Mr. Depp was able to control a lot of his behavior,” the defense expert witness said. “A lot of his thinking, even if it was hateful or negative, he’s able to control that. I think once you start adding substances to that, that will sort it out.”

Expert witness describes risk factors for domestic violence

Dr. David R. Spiegel, a psychiatrist called as an expert witness for Heard’s defense, explained the risk factors for domestic violence to the jury during his testimony.

“I don’t want to talk about all of them, but…specifically: one, having someone in the relationship who is jealous or suspicious,” Spiegel said. “Second, having someone who has a higher than average acceptance of ideas of violence. Third, someone who has rapid and extreme mood swings. Four, someone who has limited self-control. “

Spiegel noted that approximately 40-60% of intimate partner violence is committed under the influence of alcohol or drug abuse disorders.

It’s a function of human nature to get angry at others, but most of us don’t act on that anger, Spiegel said. Under the influence of substances like alcohol, people lose their inhibitions, he said.

“So you can no longer interpret what’s in front of you,” Spiegel said. “That is, I would say, good or bad, or what I should act on and what I shouldn’t act on.”

Psychiatrist says Depp showed signs of substance use disorder and domestic abuse

A psychiatrist who treats people with substance abuse and domestic violence issues testified Monday that Depp had shown signs of both issues.

“In my view…Mr. Depp has behaviors consistent with both someone with a substance use disorder as well as behaviors consistent with someone who is the perpetrator of domestic violence said Dr. David R. Spiegel, who also teaches at the Eastern Virginia School of Medicine.

Depp’s legal team had sought to portray Spiegel as unqualified to testify about domestic abuse, as none of his published works specifically have this topic in those titles. Spiegel said you can’t separate trauma and domestic abuse.

Orthopedic surgeon testifies that Depp’s finger was severed

Dr. Richard Moore, an orthopedic surgeon, testified in Heard’s defense that he did not believe Depp’s account of how his finger was severed.

Moore said he reviewed photos and medical records as well as Depp’s testimony about how the tip of the actor’s right middle finger was cut off. Depp testified that Heard cut his fingertip by throwing two bottles of vodka at him in Australia in 2015 as the couple fought.

The description offered by Depp would have caused more injury to Depp’s fingernail, which was intact, and surrounding tissue, Moore said.

“Well, the medical data is inconclusive,” Moore said. “It’s not consistent with what we see in the injury pattern described. … The description was the hand flat on the bar and the bottle crushing the finger from above. really has no significant injury to the back of the finger and has created the type of injury…we anticipate injury to both the nail and other parts of the finger.”

Graphic images of Depp’s finger were displayed for the jury as Moore explained his reasoning.

The injury appears more consistent with the finger stuck between two hard, opposing surfaces, like having a finger between sliding glass doors, Moore said.

Moore also noted that the doctors who immediately treated Depp in 2015 did not write in their records that there were shards of glass at the site of the injury. There were also no references to shards of glass in the rest of the hand or lacerations elsewhere on Depp, Moore said.

“This injury doesn’t really appear to be a sharp glass laceration,” Moore said.

The court returns for its final week

The defamation trial resumed Monday morning for its final week of testimony. Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday, when the jury is due to begin its deliberations.

Johnny Depp set to return to witness box in trial against Amber Heard

Johnny Depp is expected to return to the helm in his defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard, his representatives announced on Saturday.

Heard’s legal team is expected to call Depp as a third witness on Monday, his reps said. Additional witness updates for the rest of the week were forthcoming, they said.

Representatives for Depp declined to comment on Saturday.

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