Celebrity
Dr. Max Pemberton Says One In Twenty Of Us Has A Personality Disorder Like Amber Heard
Is her diagnosis being “used against” her?
Defining what’s normal is scary for some people. Since the trial court between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has been made public for the world to see, it’s brought awareness to the existence of personality disorders and how they may change people’s lives.
Personality disorders are different from mental disorders, which have gained more attention before this. And when they go undiagnosed, those who suffer from it are often labeled as insensitive, weird, or even evil.
The 36-year-old actress who’s been taking the stand to share her testimony as an abuse victim appears to have two of them. And as psychologist Dr. Curry mentioned on her stand, one of them could explain the violent behavior she had per Depp’s testimony.
Dr. Max Pemberton shared his fear that her personality disorders “can be used against a person like this in a trial.” He shared with DailyMail, “It also gives a distorted view of what a personality disorder is.”
Dr. Pemberton has years of experience in working with people with personality disorders and 12 months in a specialist unit. As someone who’s worked closely with them, his experience tells him that these “unwell” people need “care, love, and support.”
“We know they are vulnerable and at increased risk of being victims of crime — particularly sexual assault — but too often I’ve seen them dismissed by professionals as ‘dramatic’ or ‘fantasists’ when they’ve been attacked, even r**ed,” shared the doctor. “This is what stigma around mental illness looks like.”
In general, there are 10 recognized types of disorder, but one can define them as “a deeply ingrained, inflexible pattern of relating, perceiving and thinking, serious enough to cause distress or impaired functioning.” They also tend to abuse substances or alcohol or self-harm to help regulate their emotions.
These people also often suffer from their socialization, which can lead to even more mental disorders, such as depression and social anxiety.
Heard’s personality disorder falls under the dramatic and erratic range, with others falling under the odd/eccentric, or anxious/fearful type.
But when they’re not extreme, most of us would often call these ‘traits’ and ‘personalities.’ And they usually cannot be detected until a human reach brain maturity at around 25 years old.
Dr. Pemberton continued, “While it used to be thought that those with a personality disorder had it for life and there was little that could be done to help them, we now know this isn’t the case.”
While it’s time-consuming, there are specialists who can help those suffering the personality disorders to reach a balance in life. The sessions can be costly, but intensive treatment can definitely help.
“Many of us working in mental health fear that the way Ms. Heard’s personality disorders have been used in court will further stigmatize this common but incredibly misunderstood condition. What a tragedy that would be,” he shared his worries.
Source: Dailymail
