Amber Heard Has PTSD from 'Intimate Partner Violence by' Johnny Depp, Psychologist Testifies

One week after a doctor hired by Johnny Depp's legal team claimed Amber Heard had no signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, another forensic psychologist testified that the actress does indeed suffer from PTSD.

Dr. Dawn Hughes, a clinical and forensic psychologist, took the stand Tuesday as the first witness called by Heard's legal team after the plaintiffs rested their case in Depp's defamation trial against his ex-wife. Hughes shared her professional findings after assessing Heard's case files and meeting with the actress four times in person and twice via Zoom, totaling about 29 hours. She also interviewed some of Heard's treating physicians and the star's late mom Paige.

Hughes — who said she "always" goes into an evaluation with a "healthy dose of skepticism" — diagnosed Heard with PTSD, which has to have a cause. In this case, Hughes said the root of Heard's condition is "the intimate partner violence by Mr. Depp." "That's what was pushing the symptoms," she said. Four tests backed up the diagnosis, Hughes said.

The doctor also testified that Heard showed no signs of feigning or malingering her mental health.

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A week ago, forensic psychologist Dr. Shannon Curry testified the opposite, saying that Heard showed no signs of PTSD, instead diagnosing her with borderline and histrionic personality disorders.

RELATED: Amber Heard Wanted Johnny Depp to Know 'That I Am Sorry' One Year After Split, Texts Reveal

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Curry — who was hired by Johnny Depp's legal team to assess Heard and was present in the courtroom during Hughes' Tuesday testimony — reviewed Heard's case files and met with her twice, 12 hours total. About not identifying PTSD, Curry said, "Just because somebody doesn't have PTSD doesn't mean that they weren't harmed psychologically by whatever is being alleged — in this case, Ms. Heard is alleging that she was psychologically harmed and that she suffered PTSD because of abuse that she alleges occurred by Mr. Depp."

Hughes said she disagreed with Curry on the personality disorder diagnoses as well.

STEVE HELBER/POOL/AFP via Getty; EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Johnny Depp; Amber Heard

Depp, 58, is suing Heard, 36, for defamation over a 2018 op-ed she wrote for The Washington Post about surviving domestic violence, though she never mentioned Depp by name in the article. The Pirates of the Caribbean actor originally filed the $50 million lawsuit in March 2019.

Depp, who has said multiple times under oath that he has never struck Heard or any woman, has testified that his "goal is the truth" as he seeks to clear his name in the trial, which is being televised live via various outlets. Ahead of the trial, Heard said in a statement that "hopefully when this case concludes, I can move on and so can Johnny. I have always maintained a love for Johnny and it brings me great pain to have to live out the details of our past life together in front of the world."

Back in November 2020, Depp lost his highly publicized U.K. libel lawsuit case against British tabloid The Sun for calling him a "wife-beater." The court upheld the outlet's claims as being "substantially true" and Heard testified to back up the claims. In March 2021, his attempt to overturn the decision was overruled.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.