The prosecution at Oscar Pistorius' trial for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp was open to challenging the defense' recent claim that the once-celebrated athlete suffered from anxiety disorder. Psychiatrist Meryll Vorster took the stand and told the court that the Paralympian's anxiety disorder could have an impact on his state of mind when he had shot his late girlfriend through the bathroom door thinking she was an intruder on Valentine's Day last year.
Recounting stressful factors in the Paralympic gold medalist's life, Vorster said, "It is my opinion, my lady, that Mr Pistorius has an anxiety disorder. If he was afraid that there was an intruder, then certainly having a generalized anxiety disorder would have affected the way he reacted to that fear."
Yahoo News said that prosecutor Gerrie Nel recommended that Pistorius should be subject to a facility for a month in order for the court to test the claim. It has been noted that the defense led by Barry Roux has portrayed the athlete who has a maniac-like obsession with safety following a difficult childhood in South Africa. Vorster said on the stand that her interviews with close family and friends of Pistorius had led her to conclude that the athlete's disorder began when his parents have encouraged their son to be normal. Vorster also said that Pistorius and his other siblings were also not comforted with the fact that their mother, Sheila, at that time, was an alcohol abuser and had slept with a firearm under her pillow. Pistorius' mother had died when he was a teenager, Yahoo News said.
"Individuals with an anxiety disorder work hard to control their environment. In a way, his strict training regime and his diet helped him to alleviate his levels of anxiety," Vorster stressed.
If Pistorius will be found guilty of his murdering Steenkamp, the athlete would be facing 25 years in the notorious brutal jails in South Africa.
