Oscar has ‘anxiety disorder’ says medic

MURDER accused Oscar Pistorius may be referred for psychiatric observation today.

This is after forensic psychiatrist Professor Merryll Vorster yesterday told the high court in Pretoria that the athlete, 27, suffered from generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which may have affected his actions when he shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in February last year.

He claims he thought she was an intruder but the prosecution says he intended to shoot her.

Vorster saw Pistorius twice this month and interviewed family and friends. She said the amputation of Pistorius’s legs would have been experienced as “traumatic assault” at 11 months, as he would not have understood what was happening. Vorster said his mother was a very anxious person who, instead of soothing her children, made them see the world as a threatening place. Vorster said people with GAD worked hard to control their environment. Pistorius’s strict training regime and diet were attempts to control his anxiety, she said, but as he became more famous it became harder to control. “He reported preparing for hours before attending events so as to not embarrass himself,” Vorster said, adding he was also anxious about crime and thought fame made him more of a target.

She said Pistorius was a “distrustful and guarded person” who felt isolated, did not share his feelings with friends, and when faced with a threat was more likely to fight than flee. She confirmed, at prosecutor Gerrie Nel’s questioning, that a GAD sufferer with access to firearms was a danger to society. “Pistorius has a psychiatric disorder ... His anxiety disorder could affect how he acted,” she said.

Defence advocate Barry Roux said GAD was not a mental illness but something the court should take into consideration.