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What a psychiatrist appointed by Parliament’s privileges committee said about Raeesah Khan

Dr Christopher Cheok, a senior consultant from the department of forensic psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health, at a hearing with Parliament's Committee of Privileges.

Dr Christopher Cheok, a senior consultant from the department of forensic psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health, at a hearing with Parliament's Committee of Privileges.

‘SHE KNEW WHAT SHE WAS DOING’

Dr Cheok said that Ms Raeesah did not suffer any significant psychiatric disorder that would have impaired her ability to speak truthfully in Parliament or at the committee’s hearings. She was of sound mind, and was mentally fit and present to make the statements that she did. 

Dr Cheok said that Ms Raeesah had not told her lie in Parliament on Aug 3 impulsively or as a result of dissociation or any other psychiatric disorder.

It was possible that such untruths could be told as a result of bad judgement, rather than because of any mental illness, Dr Cheok said.

RAEESAH DID NOT SUFFER FROM DISSOCIATION

Dr Cheok told the committee that dissociation is a symptom, not a medical diagnosis. It refers to the loss of the integrative function of the human mind and may be experienced by normal persons in different situations.

The psychiatrist did not assess Ms Raeesah as suffering from dissociation.

Dr Cheok explained to the committee that those who suffer from dissociative identity disorder, commonly known as multiple identity disorder, would typically have gone through repeated childhood trauma. They would also switch between different identities or speak in different voices.

Dr Cheok told the committee that Ms Raeesah, who had said that she was a sexual assault victim, did not fit this description.

QUESTIONS ABOUT TRAUMA AFFECTING HER DECISIONS

Dr Cheok did not deny that Ms Raeesah had some symptoms of being psychologically traumatised, but he was of the view that the symptoms did not reach the threshold of a psychiatric disorder.

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