{"id":897,"date":"2026-08-15T00:25:40","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T00:25:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/15\/psych-evaluation-diagnosing-bryan-kohberger-with-autism-ocd-anorexia-and-other-mental-health-disorders-unsealed\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T00:25:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T00:25:40","slug":"psych-evaluation-diagnosing-bryan-kohberger-with-autism-ocd-anorexia-and-other-mental-health-disorders-unsealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/15\/psych-evaluation-diagnosing-bryan-kohberger-with-autism-ocd-anorexia-and-other-mental-health-disorders-unsealed\/","title":{"rendered":"Psych Evaluation Diagnosing Bryan Kohberger with Autism, OCD, Anorexia and Other \u2018Mental Health Disorders\u2019 Unsealed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The neuropsychological evaluation a defense expert conducted on Bryan Kohbergher has been unsealed      <\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/LWlVtnhhNgBD-oVAJ1NlJ2MyAbE=\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)\/bryan-kohberger-written-plea-090325-b8d324e6c1a749dcb7477e612b47b5f4.jpg\" alt=\"Bryan Kohberger (right) revealed his \u2018mental health disorders\u2019 in 2025 (document left)Credit: State of Idaho; Kyle Green-Pool\/Getty\" title=\"Bryan Kohberger Reveals Autism, OCD and Eating Disorder Diagnoses in Handwritten Guilty Plea\" \/><figcaption><i>Bryan Kohberger (right) revealed his \u2018mental health disorders\u2019 in 2025 (document left)<br \/>Credit: State of Idaho; Kyle Green-Pool\/Getty<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Bryan Kohberger wrote in a court filing that he was diagnosed with four \u201cmental health disorders\u201d in February 2025: Autism (Level 1), OCD, ADHD and the eating disorder ARFID<\/li>\n<li>That February 2025 neuropsychological evaluation has now been unsealed, detailing the behaviors that led to those diagnoses<\/li>\n<li>The evaluation also lists four additional \u201cmental health disorders\u201d Kohberger suffered from in the past, including anorexia<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Bryan Kohberger revealed that he had been diagnosed with four \u201cmental health disorders\u201d in a 2025 court filing: \u201cAutism (Level 1); OCD; ADHD; ARFID.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There was no additional information on those \u201cdisorders\u201d included in that filing, but Kohberger did note that he had been diagnosed with all four in February 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Now, the detailed neuropsychological evaluation that resulted in those diagnoses has been unsealed by the court, providing details about those four \u201cdisorders\u201d while also revealing four additional diagnoses that were previously unknown.<\/p>\n<p>The evaluation was done by Rachel Lawson Orr, PsyD, ABPP-CN, an expert hired by Kohberger\u2019s defense team.<\/p>\n<p>She was brought in by Kohberger\u2019s attorney Anne Taylor as she and prosecutors butted heads over Kohberger\u2019s mental health, which she argued should be a mitigating factor but prosecutors wished to classify as an aggravator, according to a motion in limine filed by the defense at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor wrote in her filing that the attempt by prosecutors to classify \u201cKohberger\u2019s mental health and developmental disabilities are aggravators\u201d violated her client\u2019s Constitutional rights by \u201ccriminalizing his status as a disabled person.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also provided the court with Orr\u2019s evaluation of Kohberger, which had remained under seal until now.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/Cakso1zOs_AA2LoyTXzxWK1xrdU=\/fit-in\/640x480\/bryan-kohberger-written-plea-2-090325-cc36439ddf2c483e8d83078844deae81.jpg\" alt=\"Bryan Kohberger first revealed his \u201cmental health disorders\u201d in a 2025 court filingCredit: State of Idaho\" title=\"Bryan Kohberger Reveals Autism, OCD and Eating Disorder Diagnoses in Handwritten Guilty Plea\" \/><figcaption><i>Bryan Kohberger first revealed his \u201cmental health disorders\u201d in a 2025 court filing<br \/>Credit: State of Idaho<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong><em>Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for <\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-true-crime-newsletter-sign-up-8692775\"><strong><em>PEOPLE\u2019s free True Crime newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em> for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The defense made it clear that this evaluation was not done to pursue a mental capacity defense at trial, but rather to put Orr on the stand if needed so she could respond to claims made by prosecutors.<\/p>\n<p>Kohberger ultimately met with Orr on six separate occasions over three months for testing, evaluations and conversation, according to the evaluation, a copy of which PEOPLE obtained.<\/p>\n<p>One of the first things Orr noted in her report was Kohberger\u2019s \u201crestricted range of facial expression, with stoic effect at baseline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She wrote his \u201csmiles were often slight,\u201d his \u201csocial smiling\u201d was either \u201cinconsistent\u201d or absent\u201d and the manner in which he \u201coften furrowed his eyebrows during more light conversation &#8230; contributed to awkward engagement.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Kohberger also exhibited a number of atypical social behaviors, she said, which included:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Lack of descriptive or emphatic gestures<\/li>\n<li>Atypical speech tone and cadence<\/li>\n<li>Awkward interaction, lack of fluidity<\/li>\n<li>Awkward delivery of humor at times (e.g., carrying on with a joke longer than expected)<\/li>\n<li>Awkward comments (e.g., \u201cI had a lot of fun doing the XX [cognitive text]\u201d)<\/li>\n<li>Inconsistent understanding\/acknowledgment of humor<\/li>\n<li>Poor reciprocity of interaction, including very frequently re-focusing of conversation back on his own experiences or unusual responses to my sharing<\/li>\n<li>Reduced social quality at times without awareness, primarily through matter-of-fact comments, or directives (e.g., replying firmly, \u201cI\u2019ll tell you when I\u2019m done,\u201c when prompted for \u2018anything else\u2019 during cognitive measures), or in abrupt responses<\/li>\n<li>Unusual observations he made during testing<\/li>\n<li>Occasional intense gaze<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/bryan-kohberger-plea-discussions-family-12031373\">Bryan Kohberger Reveals His Mother, Father and Sisters Were Included in Most Discussions About Murder Plea Deal<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/bryan-kohberger-says-evidence-found-in-murder-victim-hand-proves-innocence-12028706\">Bryan Kohberger Says Evidence Found In Murder Victim Ethan Chapin\u2019s Hand Proves Innocence<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Orr also wrote in her evaluation that Kohberger has \u201cimpulsive tendencies throughout evaluation,\u201d pointing out that he \u201cviolated rules\u201d and \u201crushed through tasks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, he had \u201coverall poor\u201d insight, according to Orr, except for a few \u201cmoments of fleeting acknowledgement when explicitly challenged to consider his role in certain situations.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Much of the behaviors that Orr witnessed were also reported by Kohberger\u2019s parents and two sisters, who were interviewed on multiple occasions as part of the evaluation.<\/p>\n<p>Orr wrote that Kohberger\u2019s family noted that his struggles with everything from \u201cdeficits in non-verbal communication\u201d and \u201ca limited range of facial expressions\u201d to \u201crigid thinking and behavior\u201d along with \u201ctrouble coping with changes in routine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>His family members also \u201cdescribed engaging in extensive social coaching ad provision of social feedback, to no avail,\u201d according to the evaluation.<\/p>\n<p>This led Orr to diagnose Kohberger with four \u201cmental health disorders.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/v_baR8YxdA_bKOZlOhISumKmybs=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/bryan-kohberger-mother-sister-2-072325-5fa7d6c31595463c95abd11ddb73f2f2.jpg\" alt=\"Anne Taylor (left) had the expert speak with Kohberger\u2019s mother (center) and sister (right)Credit: AP Photo\/Drew Nash\" title=\"The Kohberger family leaves the Ada County Courthouse after the Bryan Kohberger sentencing Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Boise, Idaho.\" \/><figcaption><i>Anne Taylor (left) had the expert speak with Kohberger\u2019s mother (center) and sister (right)<br \/>Credit: AP Photo\/Drew Nash<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The first was Autism Spectrum Disorder (Level 1), without accompanying intellectual or language impairment. Individuals with that diagnosis tend to be high-functioning and display only a few symptoms of the disorder and often require no assistance to perform everyday tasks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>She also diagnosed Kohberger with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which is typically characterized by an individual engaging in repetitive behaviors in an attempt to shut out unwanted, intrusive thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>Kohberger also received an Attention-Deficit\/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, which is one of the more common developmental disorders and can manifest in a number of ways, varying from person to person. A majority of those diagnosed struggle to pay attention, while others struggle to stay organized, keep a schedule or stay focused on a specific task.<\/p>\n<p>Lastly, she diagnosed Kohberger with the eating disorder ARFID, or Avoidant\/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. Most common in children, this disorder manifests in highly selective eating habits that greatly limit an individual\u2019s diet and can result in malnutrition and limit a person\u2019s physical growth.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/98hPcdizGk2TEts-KvOd7B0eEno=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/bryan-kohberger-family-plea-hearing-072425-02f1cae1dbb641339789ab8938095d34.jpg\" alt=\"Bryan Kohberger at his plea haring in Jukly 2025Credit: Kyle Green-Pool\/Getty\" title=\"Bryan Kohberger appears for a hearing at the Ada County Courthouse on July 2, 2025, in Boise, Idaho.\" \/><figcaption><i>Bryan Kohberger at his plea haring in Jukly 2025<br \/>Credit: Kyle Green-Pool\/Getty<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Orr also said Kohberger had met the criteria for four additional diagnoses in the past: Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), an unspecified depressive disorder, anorexia nervosa and Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). That last disorder \u2014 a result of the heroin addiction Kohberger developed in his teenage years \u2014 is in sustained remission, Orr noted in the evaluation.<\/p>\n<p>Kohberger did not attempt to claim he was not of sound mind due to any of these diagnoses when entering his guilty plea to four charges of murder.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>He wrote in his own filing that he was aware of the fact that if the judge accepted his plea he would likely be sentenced to serve four lifetimes in prison along with an additional 10 years on a burglary charge.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/bryan-kohberger-pleads-guilty-to-murders-of-4-students-11765363\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">Kohberger then appeared in court on July 2, 2025, and confessed to killing the four University of Idaho students:<\/a>\u00a0Madison Mogen, 21; Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20.<\/p>\n<p>Three weeks later he was back in court, at which time he was\u00a0<a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/bryan-kohberger-sentenced-four-lifetimes-in-prison-idaho-murders-11776817\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"null\">sentenced to serve four lifetimes in prison<\/a>\u00a0for those murders.<\/p>\n<p>Then, in July 2026, Kohberger filed a motion with the court asking that his guilty plea be tossed out and he be allowed a trial on account of his ineffective counsel.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors have yet to respond to the filing.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The neuropsychological evaluation a defense expert conducted on Bryan Kohbergher has been unsealed Bryan Kohberger (right) revealed his \u2018mental health disorders\u2019 in 2025 (document left)Credit: State of Idaho; Kyle Green-Pool\/Getty NEED TO KNOW Bryan Kohberger wrote in a court filing that he was diagnosed with four \u201cmental health disorders\u201d in February 2025: Autism (Level 1), [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everything-else"],"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"1":{"name":"Everything Else","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/category\/everything-else\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}