Johnny Depp’s psychiatrist has revealed that the “paranoid” actor admitted to having a “very chaotic” relationship with “lots of anger” towards ex-wife Amber Heard.
Testimony from Dr Alan Blaustein was played in court on Thursday during the former couple’s defamation trial, where he spoke about the Pirates actor’s issues with drugs, alcohol, “rage” and “jealousy”.
“It was a very chaotic relationship with a lot of fluctuations, ups and downs. Lots of difficulties, emotional expressions” he testified Mr Depp told him in their sessions.
“Lots of anger in both places and high intensity… A lot of love, a lot of disappointment, a lot of fears.”
He added: “Part of his goal of therapy was to work through the anger that he and his fiancee had toward each other.”
Dr Blaustein, who met with Mr Depp 18 times between October 2014 and January 2015, testified that the Pirates actor “expressed having anger towards Amber” and “feelings of jealousy”.
He told him that there had been “rage and chaos” in other relationships prior to his relationship with Ms Heard, including with the mother of his children Vanessa Paradis.
Reading from his notes taken from a 2 October 2014 phone consultation, he said Mr Depp told him there were “arguments about child care” with Ms Paradis.
In the same conversation, he said Mr Depp also spoke about abuse as a child.
He did not talk about abuse with Ms Heard but did say that she was “such a pain in the ass”, the psychiatrist testified, recalling from his notes.
“The relationship he was in reminded him of his relationship with his psychotic sister and his mom,” he said of Mr Depp.
Dr Blaustein said Mr Depp said he had anxiety and also questioned if he had bipolar disorder.
Mr Depp also had substance dependence issues with marijuana, alcohol and opiates including oxycontin, he testified.
“His drug use, turning to drugs helped relieve the psychic pain he was experiencing,” he testifed.
There were points during the time that he saw Mr Depp that he was in what he called “relative sobriety” – saying it was relative as he said Mr Depp always used marijuana – but then there were some instances of “breakthrough usage” of other drugs and alcohol.
He said he spoke to Mr Depp about how the drugs he was using cause “brain changes” over time.
He recalled one particular exercise where Mr Depp would be given three words to remember and was then distracted with other conversations. After five minutes, he would then be asked to recall the words.
The doctor said that Mr Depp was unable to do so.
Mr Depp also spoke of feelings of “paranoia, fear, envy” and about “fighting the devil” which he said “was a representation of a battle with himself”.
Mr Depp is suing his ex-wife for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she penned for The Washington Post where she described herself as a “a public figure representing domestic abuse”.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor is not named in the article, which is titled “I spoke up against sexual violence – and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change”.
However Mr Depp claims that it falsely implies that he is a domestic abuser – something that he strongly denies – and that it has left him struggling to land roles in Hollywood. He is suing for $50m.
Ms Heard is countersuing for $100m, accusing Mr Depp of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her and describing his lawsuit as a continuation of “abuse and harassment”.
