Oscar faces psych tests

Oscar Pistorius, whose mental health is now a central aspect of his murder trial, will be told today whether he must spend the next month under psychiatric observation.

For the past two days Pistorius's mental health has been in the spotlight, especially in relation to whether, when he shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, he was aware of what he was doing. The possibility exists that he was in a state of diminished responsibility.

The Blade Runner is accused of deliberately shooting Steenkamp through a locked toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home, allegedly after a heated argument, on StValentine's Day last year. He claims he mistook her for an intruder.

In a day of intense legal wrangling, prosecutor Gerrie Nel and defence lawyer Barry Roux argued about whether Pistorius should be referred for psychiatric observation. Nel asked the court to refer Pistorius; Roux opposed the request.

Pistorius appeared to be irritated at times, sighing heavily as his psychiatrist, Dr Merryll Vorster, completed her testimony.

On Monday, Vorster testified that Pistorius was suffering from generalised anxiety disorder and, though he was aware of the difference between right and wrong, the disorder could have influenced his actions.

Vorster conceded, in response to Nel's questioning, that, if Pistorius had known Steenkamp was in the toilet when he shot through the door, he could have been worried about their relationship ending.

"You know that Pistorius said in court [that] he denied firing at a noise in the toilet . which is not what he told you. Surely red lights must have been flickering for you," said Nel.

Vorster agreed, saying there appeared to be inconsistencies.

"Or he could be lying," retorted Nel.

"Yes, that is possible; he could have been lying," said Vorster.

Nel said that the defence was raising the disorder now as a fall-back position after the "terrible" testimonies of Pistorius and his expert witnesses.

"There was no indication in the plea explanation [that] Pistorius was suffering from a psychiatric condition. Yes, we heard he was vulnerable but this new fact is only coming out now. Why?

"There have been three different versions on defence. We will argue Pistorius was a terrible witness as were his expert witnesses. Is this not a fall-back position?"

Nel said the court had no choice but to refer Pistorius for evaluation.

"The court is now under the obligation to ask for an investigation ... It is so serious that if there is any indication of a mental illness the court must refer for observation.

"Mr Roux was at pains to show Pistorius is not suffering from a mental illness but the facts indicate a psychiatric diagnosis impacted on the event. The court must err on the side of caution," Nel said.

Roux denied this.

"There must be substance to the allegations . supported by facts. What we have is the state wanting a second opinion through a strange method.

"Vorster said Pistorius is neither delusional nor paranoid. It is a ruse to get a second opinion," he said.

Signs and symptoms of 'GAD'

About 1.4% of South Africa's adult population suffers from generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).

Forensic psychiatrist and defence witness Dr Merryll Vorster claims Oscar Pistorius is one of them.

Those affected by GAD experience excessive and uncontrollable anxiety.

GAD is diagnosed if the patient reports these symptoms as persisting for longer than six months.

The head of the University of Cape Town's department of psychiatry and director of the Medical Research Council's anxiety and stress disorders unit, Professor Dan Stein, said the causes of the condition were not fully understood.

"It is a combination of genetic and environmental factors," he said.

Stein said GAD sufferers exhibited "restlessness, or feeling on edge, fatigue, lack of concentration, irritability, muscle tension and sleep disturbance".

"I am not sure we know enough to say that GAD can cause violence."

Nivashni Nair