NORFOLK, Va. — A Norfolk psychiatrist testified in the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard defamation trial Monday, saying Depp's behavior is consistent with someone with a substance use disorder, as well as a perpetrator of intimate partner violence (IPV).
Dr. David Spiegel of the Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) spoke as an expert witness on behalf of Heard, who Depp is suing over an op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post in 2018.
According to Newsweek, Dr. Spiegel shared his take on Depp's behavior after being asked if it compares to the psychological profile of his patients who suffered and perpetrated IPV. He linked Depp's substance abuse as a risk factor for IPV.
During questioning, Dr. Spiegel said 75% of his patients suffer from substance abuse. He explained that he studied the effects of drugs and alcohol on the brain as well as the causes and effects of IPV.
According to his biography, Dr. Spiegel joined EVMS in 2001 after nearly 10 years in private practice. He got his medical degree from SUNY-Health Science Center at Brooklyn, then completed his psychiatry residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock and Hershey-Penn State.