Diego Maradona, the former Argentine footballer, suffered from bipolar disorder and narcissistic personality disorder in addition to his addictions, a psychologist revealed on Thursday. The psychologist was among the healthcare providers being judged for potential neglect.
Carlos Diaz, an addiction specialist, testified for the first time at the San Isidro court, where seven health professionals (doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses) have been on trial for two weeks for their possible roles in Maradona’s death in 2020.
“At Maradona’s case, apart from treating addiction to alcohol and psychotropic drugs, we needed to address bipolar disorder and narcissistic personality disorder. These are chronic conditions that last a lifetime,” said Carlos Diaz, who claimed to have guided Maradona towards abstinence in the final month of his life.
This is the first time a specialist publicly mentioned mental health diagnoses for Maradona, whose addictions to cocaine and alcohol were well known.
“A real desire for change”
“I was told that his consumption was linked to his sporting success and that, when faced with frustration, he didn’t know how to handle the situation,” Mr. Diaz further explained.
Maradona, the football legend and 1986 World Cup champion, died at the age of 60 on November 25, 2020, from a cardiorespiratory crisis coupled with a pulmonary edema, alone on his bed in a rented residence for home hospitalization following uncomplicated neurosurgery recovery.
Mr. Diaz, a 34-year-old addiction specialist, revealed that he had met Maradona barely a month before his death, around the end of October 2020. He claimed to have noticed “a real desire for change” in him regarding his addictions.
His only role around the star, he argued, was to support him in a program for abstinence, which he claimed was successful. “Maradona used to consume every day, and he ended up ‘clean’ after 23 days without consuming substances,” he emphasized. “The toxicological examination confirmed this.”
The defendants in the trial deny any responsibility in Maradona’s death, citing natural causes. They are relying on their specialties to deflect responsibility onto others. They face sentences ranging from 8 to 25 years in prison.
The trial, with two hearings per week, could extend until July.
This article was automatically generated. Sources: ats / afp
