Who is Dr Alan Blaustein? Johnny Depp's former psychiatrist claims actor referred to Heard as his mother and 'psychotic sister' 

Johnny Depp's former psychiatrist, Dr Alan Blaustein, took the stand at the Fairfax County Court on May 19 to testify at the former’s ongoing defamation trial against his ex-wife.

During his testimony, Dr. Blaustein opened up about Depp’s mental health issues, substance abuse, and his strained relationship with Amber Heard. He also alleged that the actor showed feelings of anger towards Heard and once likened her to his mother and “psychotic sister.”

Earlier in the trial, Johnny Depp testified that he was physically and psychologically abused at the hands of his mother Betty Sue Palmer during his childhood.

The Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard defamation case began after the former filed a $50 million libel lawsuit against Heard following her 2018 Washington Post op-ed where she claimed to be a domestic violence survivor.

Although Depp was not named in the piece, his team alleged that the story negatively contributed to his career and his public image. Heard countersued Depp for $100 million, claiming that the actor had abused her on multiple occasions.

Dr Alan Blaustein testified about Johnny Depp's mental health, substance abuse and relationship with Amber Heard (Image via Law & Crime Network/YouTube)

Dr. Alan Blaustein is a psychiatrist based in Los Angeles, California. He is currently affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and has been practicing for more than 20 years.

The medical professional graduated from the McGaw Medical Center at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in 1983. He received his fellowship at Legal Ed University Ill and also interned at Georgetown University.

The psychiatrist recently made news after testifying at the Johnny Depp vs. Amber Heard trial. The doctor appeared in court via video deposition and shared his take on Depp’s past relationship with Heard.

He claimed that Depp had a “chaotic” relationship with Heard and had “lots of anger” towards the Aquaman star:

“It was a very chaotic relationship with a lot of fluctuations, ups and downs. Lots of difficulties, emotional expressions. Lots of anger in both places and high intensity… A lot of love, a lot of disappointment, a lot of fears.”

Dr Blaustein reportedly met Depp 18 times between October 2014 and January 2015. He said that part of Depp’s goal during therapy was to “work through the anger that he and his fiancee had toward each other.”

The doctor claimed that Johnny Depp told him that he also experienced “rage and chaos” in his other relationships alongside Heard, including with the mother of his children Vanessa Paradis.

Dr Blaustein read the notes he took in October 2014 during a telephonic consultation and alleged that Depp told him he had “arguments about child care” with Paradis.

During the same conversation, Depp also opened up about suffering child abuse at the hands of his mother and allegedly told the doctor that his relationship with Heard reminded him of his mother and “psychotic sister”:

“The relationship he was in reminded him of his relationship with his psychotic sister and his mom.”

Dr Blaustein recalled that although Depp did not talk about abuse with Heard but called the actress “a pain in the a**.”

He also said that Depp felt frustrated, impatient and angry, had anxiety, suffered alcohol and drug abuse, and questioned if he had bipolar disorder during his marriage to Heard. The psychiatrist also alleged that Depp often broke his commitment to staying sober and returned to drug and alcohol consumption.

The doctor said that he was often concerned about Depp's use of ADHD medication Adderall when the actor was not working. He alleged that the Pirates of the Caribbean star also had substance dependence issues with marijuana, alcohol and opiates including oxycontin.”

“His drug use, turning to drugs helped relieve the psychic pain he was experiencing.”

Dr Blaustein said that on some days, Depp allegedly maintained “relative sobriety” and only used marijuana, but on other days he went through “breakthrough usage” and consumed other drugs and alcohol.

He also noted that the drug usage caused “brain changes” in Johnny Depp over time. During one particular exercise, Depp was given three words to remember and then distracted with other conversations to recall the words five minutes later. The actor reportedly failed to do so.

The medical professional also alleged that Depp spoke about feelings of “fear and envy” and about “fighting the devil” which he said “was a representation of a battle with himself”.

Dr Alan Blaustein even claimed that Depp once came to him with complaints about suffering from paranoia and shared that he had initial worries about marrying Heard due to their significant age difference.

He further testified that Amber Heard once accused Johnny Depp of being manic, but the doctor could not find any evidence to back up the claim.