Opinion ID: 3065796
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: ptsd

Text: The state court concluded that although West’s diagnosis of PTSD had not been made at the time of trial, West was not diligent in obtaining the diagnosis. We agree. Dr. Allender and Dr. Smith based their diagnoses on conversations with West regarding information known by him at the time of trial. There was no new information that led to the diagnoses; the only new turn of events is that West has now chosen to disclose that he is the victim of sexual abuse, which apparently resulted in his PTSD. West argues that his allegations of sexual abuse were only corroborated within the past few weeks. This proves too much, because Dr. Allender and Dr. Smith both diagnosed PTSD before the allegations of sexual abuse were corroborated.2 Moreover, Dr. Allender first indicated that he suspected PTSD in his 2008 letter based only on the physical and emotional abuse in the West household growing up with no indication that West had been sexually abused. Thus, there is no legitimate reason why the diagnosis would not have been made in 1987, or at least by August 1, 1988, if West had disclosed the information he had available to him. See State v. Jensen, 735 P.2d 781, 784 (Ariz. 1987) (recognizing PTSD as a diagnostic mental disorder in 1983). The evidence of family and sexual abuse is not newly discovered. While West’s PTSD diagnosis was not made until 2 There was evidence that indicated Fr. Burke, one of West’s accused abusers, had previously sexually abused boys in the area around the same time. However, this does not conclusively corroborate West’s claim that Fr. Burke abused him. More importantly, however, neither expert indicated they would not have believed West absent this corroboration, and at the time they reached their diagnoses there was no corroboration of the other two accused abusers. 9716 WEST v. RYAN well after the trial and sentencing, West at all times possessed the information that forms the basis of the diagnosis. Had West been forthcoming with the events of his childhood in 1987, there is no reason to think that the diagnosis would not have been made. West cannot withhold the information he claims is critical mitigating evidence and then complain when it is not considered. West chose not to reveal the information at trial and sentencing, and made at least a partial disclosure in his post-conviction proceedings in 1997. He cannot now claim that the information he chose to withhold for over 20 years is new.