Amber Heard

Amber Heard’s Diagnosis of Histrionic Personality Disorder: An Explanation

As the highly publicized defamation lawsuit between actor Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard continues to make headlines, a mental health diagnosis may play a role in the legal proceedings to come. Heard has been diagnosed with both borderline personality disorder and histrionic personality disorder (via WebMD).

The two actors were married in 2024, which ended after a short 15 months when Heard filed for divorce, according to CNN. They reached an out-of-court settlement and released a joint statement claiming that “Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.” Then, in December 2024, Heard wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post that did not explicitly name Depp, but claimed that “two years ago, I became a public figure representing domestic abuse.”

Depp claimed that the op-ed article badly tarnished his reputation and led to him exiting his role in the Warner Bros. “Fantastic Beasts” franchise (via Newsweek). Depp sued Heard for $50 million and Heard promptly countersued for $100 million, claiming Depp’s former lawyer defamed her when he referred to her allegations as hoaxes (per CNET).

How Heard was diagnosed

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp in 2024

As the trial unfolds, more details about Heard’s mental health are coming into view. Clinical and forensic psychologist, Shannon Curry, testified in court after performing clinical evaluations on Heard (via WebMD). According to Newsweek, borderline personality disorder (BPD) and histrionic personality disorder (HPD) fall under the umbrella of “dramatic personality disorders.” However, HPD is characterized by many different traits, including feeling an intense need to be the center of attention, having unstable and shallow emotions, constantly seeking approval from others, and consistently acting in sexually inappropriate ways with others. 

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According to the Cleveland Clinic, “The main feature of histrionic personality disorder is displaying excessive, superficial emotionality and sexuality to draw attention to themselves.”

While Heard has described herself as having post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Curry testified that “Ms. Heard did not have PTSD, and there were also pretty significant indications that she was grossly exaggerating symptoms of PTSD when asked about them,” per Newsweek. It has yet to be seen what role Heard’s diagnosis will play in the legal process.

Lesa O'Leary
Lesa O'Leary

Lesa is a dynamic member of OzHelp’s Service Delivery Team as the Service Delivery Team Leader and Nurse. She has been with OzHelp for five years and believes in leading by example. Lesa has experience in the not-for-profit sector, as well as many roles throughout different industries and sectors, including as a contractor to the Department of Defence. She has expertise in delivering OzHelp’s health and wellbeing programs and engaging with clients in a relaxed and comfortable manner that aligns with the organisation’s vision and objectives.

Lesa has a Certificate 4 in Nursing from Wodonga Tafe, Certificate 4 in Mental Health from Open Colleges, and is currently undertaking a Certificate 4 in Training and Assessment from Tafe NSW. For the past few months Lesa has been an Education and Memberships committee member of the ACT Branch of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).