(NewsNation) — A psychologist says Sean “Diddy” Combs likely needs years of therapy and treatment for substance misuse to recover from the “heinous acts” he is accused of committing against an ex-girlfriend.
“If that is a singular case, if I were working with a patient who had done some of the things that he’s done, certainly I would say that would take years of therapy, years of substance abuse treatment in order to come back from that,” Dr. Jeff Gardere, a clinical psychologist, said Monday on “NewsNation Now.”
Gardere’s comments came after the recent surfacing of a leaked video that showed Combs beating Cassie Ventura, who has accused him of abusing her throughout their relationship. Combs, who initially denied the accusations, later apologized and said he sought professional help and went to rehab.
However, Gardere expressed skepticism about Combs’ sincerity, saying it would take a “long, long, long road to recovery” for people to believe he is genuine after being involved in “such heinous acts.”
“But can one recover? Yes, of course, they can,” Gardere said. “But it does take years of work.”
Gardere said his primary concern is for victims of abuse, who he said will eventually recover but will have lasting emotional pain.
“I’d be much more concerned about the victims first,” he said. “We don’t really know what other psychological demons, what other issues are going on with this particular individual.”