Blog — abuse OF men BY women

Psychologist Dr Hughes Testimony for Amber Heard Exposes DV Gender Bias 0

Forensic Psychologist Dr Dawn Hughes, PhD testified on Amber’s behalf during Amber Heard and Johnny Depp’s “You defamed me.” “No, you defamed me.” trial. As a counselor and author of several books about partner abuse, I have been following the Depp/Heard case for a long time. I transcribed and analyzed Dr Hughes’ testimony to check it against other evidence and what I know about mental health and partner abuse.

For this post, I’m focusing on the domestic violence part of Dr Hughes’ testimony and what it tells us about her objectivity and gender bias, as well as the gender bias of other DV advocates, resources, and treatment programs.

Histrionic Personality: Traits and Relationship Risks 0

Histrionic personalities are flamboyant, melodramatic attention-seekers.

A histrionic person may be the life of the party and draw a partner in with their enthusiasm, charm, and seduction, but then wear the partner out with their need to be the center of the universe.

Explore dramatic HPD traits, how they affect intimate partners, PLUS key differences from narcissism and borderline personality disorders.

Marriage Counselor, Dr Laurel Anderson Testimony, Johnny Depp v Amber Heard Def Trial 7

A video deposition of Dr Laurel Anderson, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard's couples' therapist, was presented during Johnny's WaPo article defamation trial on April 14, 2022. As a therapist and author of several books about partner abuse I've been following this case for a couple of years and was particularly interested in taking a detailed look at this testimony. 

As I worked my way through Dr Anderson's testimony, I developed more and more questions about the therapy and this post became much more extensive than I anticipated.

What Is Borderline PD? Signs, Traits, and Relationship Struggles 4

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a serious mental health condition marked by instability, intense emotions, and chaotic relationships. Learn how it shows up, how it can affect partners, and where to find help and support.

Ann Silvers Interviews about Abusive Women and Abused Men 0

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard Audio Recording Sept 2015 Transcript and Analysis 6

Amber Heard and Johnny Depp created an audio recording of a conversation they had September 26, 2015. In these two hour-long recordings, Johnny stays calm and is suggesting ways to make their relationship better. Amber morphs from angry and demeaning to demure.

In  this recorded conversation, Amber admits to throwing things at Johnny and hitting him while calling him "a baby" for having a problem with her physical attacks.

Johnny repeatedly asks that things not get physical anymore and that they make a plan to call a time out if things get heated.

Amber resists Johnny's suggestions to give each other space when they are angry and she repeatedly chastises Johnny for not staying and fighting. This is not what one would expect to hear someone say to their abuser.

This post includes links for the audio recordings and a full transcripts of the both hour-long segments of the conversation. It also includes background to help you have more context for what each says (and how they say it).

I also point out some of what I noticed in this interaction based on my years of experience studying partner abuse, writing about it, and working with hundreds of couples who have experienced, or are experiencing, abuse from one partner or both.