South African Olympian and Paralympian Oscar Pistorius returns to court today with his diagnosis over whether he suffers from generalized anxiety disorder to be revealed.
Doctors know whether Oscar Pistorius has generalized anxiety disorder
According to theguardian.com, Judge Thokozile Masipa will receive the report from a panel consisting of one psychologist and three psychiatrists who observed Pistorius for 30 days at Weskoppies psychiatric hospital to determine whether the athlete suffers from a generalized anxiety disorder that may have impaired his ability to distinguish right from wrong when he shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp through a locked bathroom door in February, 2013.
Pistorius' murder trial for the killing of Steenkamp has been on hiatus for six weeks, since a defense witness - a doctor - testified that Pistorius was suffering from the disorder.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel has alleged that Pistorius shot Steenkamp after an argument and refuses to take responsibility. Nel is arguing that Pistorius is obsessed with guns. But he asked for the evaluation after Dr. Merryll Vorster, a forensic psychiatrist, said Pistorius' generalized anxiety order, combined with his physical vulnerability - he had both legs amputated below the knees when he was a baby - could have affected his actions.
Reeva Steenkamp was scheduled to give a speech against domestic violence on the morning of her death
The Guardian also quoted Kelly Phelps, a senior lecture in the public law department at the University of Cape Town, as saying that he told The Associated Press that if the panel backed Vorster's diagnosis, it could add weight to Pistorius' account. Even if the judge were to find Pistorius guilty - there are no jury trials in South Africa - his disorder could be a factor in his sentencing.
Once Masipa receives the conclusions from the mental health experts, the defense is expected to call three more witnesses, prior to closing arguments and Masipa's deliberation on a verdict. If, however, the experts who observed Pistorius are not unanimous in their conclusions, the judge can call them to the stand to clarify their findings.
If found guilty, Pistorius could face life imprisonment, the Guardian added.
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