Is Johnny Depp a Narcissist?

I’m guessing that you have probably been following at least some of the Johnny Depp / Amber Heard trial, as it’s hard to miss it due to the high profile of JD in particular, and the obsession the media has with anything celebrity.

I’ve been following as much as I can - and let’s face it, there’s a LOT to try and keep up with - and I have shared a lot of highlights with my FB Group members, and one of the most recent parts of the trial that came up that got some people (especially the JD fans) confused, was the testimony of psychiatrist Dr. David Spiegel, who was called by AH’s defence team, and who said JD might be a narcissist. And then the cross-examination shows you what a farce it really is. Dr Spiegel is an expert witness but he’s in contravention of the APA’s Goldwater Rule - for quick ref here:

"The Goldwater Rule is a statement of ethics first issued by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973 restraining psychiatrists from speculating about the mental state of public figures. The rule enjoins psychiatrists from professionally diagnosing someone they have not personally evaluated.”

What was also interesting for me in his cross-examination testimony is that he says:

‘Narcissistic personality traits’ is not a diagnosis and I am basically commenting on the things that were brought to me which are not diagnoses….’ Yet, in his testimony for AH, most of it IS all about the personality traits of NPD as per the DSM 5. And he said he’s thinking that way, and making a provisional diagnosis of JD having NPD. And of course, he’s never even met or spoken to JD. To be honest, this is a long cross and I could write a small book about it but let me cut to the chase here for now, but I’ll pop the links to his testimony at the end of this post in case you’d like to watch them.

So, several of my subscribers and group members messaged me in alarm to ask ‘Is Johnny Depp a narcissist???’

So of course, I felt absolutely duty-bound to tell you, my subscribers and followers, that in my experience of all things narcissistic (in case you don’t know, I have 3 FB Support groups with over 6,000 members, I have a YT Channel with over 100 videos, I have published two books about NPD, abuse and healing, and I work solely with clients who are trying to recover from narcissistic abuse), Johnny Depp is NOT a narcissist. Nothing I have seen or heard during this trial, during much research into his and AH’s previous trial, and various other research, gives me any indication whatsoever that he even might be one!

Does he have issues? Yes, of course he does. He had a troubled childhood - which some people seem to think is ‘proof’ that he must be a narcissist, because most people with NPD did have abusive childhoods. And that’s correct, they did have.

But, but but… probably 80% of the people I work with, and who are in my groups, ALSO had abusive childhoods, with dysfunctional, narcissistic parents. And THEY did NOT grow up to become narcissists. They (because of a number of complex dynamics that they have learned during these awful childhoods), grew up to accept dysfunctional relationships as normal, and they attracted narcissists as partners.

Johnny Depp had alcohol and drug abuse issues - for sure, there’s no denying that and he’s never tried. This is very common too for people who have suffered emotionally growing up - it becomes a coping mechanism, a way to tamp down the feelings of worthlessness they feel inside. Even when one is super-successful as JD is, success is never enough to compensate for those deep inner feelings of never been good enough. It’s actually quite common for very successful people to have deep emotional issues and he’s a fine example of this. When you add huge Hollywood-Style celebrity into the mix, it becomes even more complex.

For me it's so simple... JD comes across as totally sincere in all this court circus.... he's honest, he admits his flaws, he maintains his sense of humour in court. There is something very genuine about him that I just feel every time I see him. But AH? My hackles go up. I feel the fake! Has she shown one single example during all this where you actually felt empathy for her?

She’s crying with no tears, she’s looking at the jury instantly every time a question is asked - it’s like she’s just waiting for the questions to end so she can swivel round and create a connection with the jury. She’s been caught lying throughout the trial. In all the recordings I’ve heard, there’s not one where he’s being abusive - rather, he’s trying to talk her down, to get away from her, and there’s no evidence of his abuse, even down to her fake bruises photos. It’s pathetic and embarrassing to watch her performance, because that’s what it is, and not a good one.

I think millions of people now see how manipulative and deceptive she is. I'm proud of JD. He's taken a hugely important step forward in showing that men can be abused, and so many, many men who have been victims of IPV (intimate partner violence) recognise the manipulation and covert narcissistic abuse that has gone on in this relationship. It puts him at the top of my list of favourite men of all time, because he's had the guts to stand up in court and have his private life put under the microscope. It's horrendous and humiliating for any man, or woman, to have to do this, but it's powerful when a global celebrity of his calibre has the guts to do it. Bravo JD.

I was looking forward to hearing what Kate Moss has to say when she testified, and here it is in a nutshell:

‘… he came running back to help me and carried me back to my room and got me medical attention.’

‘He never pushed me, kicked me, or threw me down any stairs.” Kate Moss's testimony about the rumours.

So, another one bites the dust. Well done Kate.

If someone deliberately kicks you down the stairs, they don't run back to help you, carry you and get you medical attention.

So now, we await the outcome. I hope that JD wins, not because I’m a huge fan – I am a fan, but I don’t usually follow celebrity divorces. This one I do because of my professional interest in narcissistic abuse, and especially abuse by narcissistic women of men, because this is something that people who have never experienced it struggle to understand. This trial has already opened a lot of people’s eyes to the reality of narcissistic abuse AND that men can be psychologically, mentally and physically abused, just as women can. And that is a good thing, whether he wins or not.

I hope this helps to clarify, briefly, why I don’t believe JD is a narcissist. But I absolutely think AH is.

Update, June: Johnny Depp won his case and finally cleared his name.

Dr David Spiegel’s Testimony (AH team, Prosecution)

Dr David Spiegel’s Testimony (JD’s team, cross-examination)

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