The defamation trial between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp is unfolding new facts and secrets with each hearing. Yesterday, Johnny finished his four-day testimony in Fairfax, Virginia Court. Johnny filed a defamation suit against his ex-wife regarding an opinion article published in 2018.
In the article, Amber, without naming her ex-husband, called herself a ‘public figure representing domestic abuse’. As it was indirectly hinted at Johnny, he sued Amber and dragged her to court.
After a number of allegations by Johnny Depp on his ex-wife such as starting arguments, throwing vodka bottle at him and so on, Amber’s psychological condition and behaviour was examined by a clinical psychologist, Dr Shannon Curry. Making shocking revelations about Amber’s mental health, the doctor revealed that the actor is suffering from two psychiatric disorders – histrionic personality disorder and borderline personality disorder. To put more light on the subject, let’s learn more about these disorders.
Histrionic Personality Disorder
The personality disorder develops mainly in adulthood when the person becomes too dramatic and develops attention-seeking behaviour. The personality disorder is characterised by the Cluster B personality disorder which defines as ‘dramatic, overly emotional or unpredictable thinking or behaviour.’
Symptoms of HPD
- Feeling uncomfortable when attention is not on you
- Provocative and sexually seductive behaviour
- Swiftly changing emotions
- Focus on appearance to gain attention
- Unclear speech which lacks detail
- Exaggerated emotions and self-dramatization
- Easily influenceable
- Sense of insecurity and too much intimacy in the relationship
Causes
There are numerous reasons why someone can develop HPD. Usually, these mental disorders are related to lifelong experiences and trauma which takes a dig on the mental health during the maturity age. The main causes include inconsistent parenting style, not enough attention received, the experience of violence at home, family history of psychiatric disorders and childhood trauma.
Borderline Personality Disorder
A borderline personality disorder is mainly associated with the person’s way of thinking about themselves. This mental disorder includes ‘self-image issues, difficulty managing emotions and behaviour, and a pattern of unstable relationships.’ The condition generally develops during early adulthood.
Symptoms of BPD
- Intense fear of abandonment
- Unstable feelings about your partner
- Sudden changes in personality and emotions
- Episodes of stress-related paranoia and diminished reality
- Indulging in unhealthy social activities such as gambling, impulsive and unsafe sex, drug abuse and so on
- Episodes of self-injury
- Excessive mood swings
- Feeling of loneliness
- Aggressive behaviour can result in physical fights
Causes
Just like HPD, BPD is also linked to the experiences one goes through during their growing time. It can be anything from going through emotional or physical abuse suffered by them at an early age, neglection by parents, growing up with abusive people or drug addicts around, or a sense of fear developed at the early age.
Diagnosis and Treatment of HPD and BPD
Mental disorders are generally diagnosed by a detailed interview with a psychologist that includes a number of questions. They also take family history cases to know more about the type of time a person spent during their growing years. An open conversation on signs and symptoms and incidence which have impacted the patient a lot.
The only way to cure the disorders is through psychotherapy. A number of therapies are tried upon the patient including Dialectical behaviour therapy, Schema-focused therapy, Transference-focused psychotherapy and so on. Psychologists also use medications to control emotions and calm down the hyperactive behaviour of the patient.
