SEATTLE, Washington – Jurors in the trial of Naveed Haq learned more details Wednesday about the defendant’s mental state in the years, days before, and possibly during the time he opened fire at the Jewish Federation of Seattle.

Under direct examination by defense attorney Wes Richards, Dr. James Missett, a forensic psychiatrist, testified the severity of Haq’s mental illness “is extraordinarily severe, about as severe as I’ve seen in anybody.”

Missett spent most of the day linking characteristics of bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder with Haq’s history of mental illness. Missett previously testified Haq was unable to tell right from wrong when he killed one woman and wounded five others at the Jewish Federation on July 28, 2006 because he suffers from a bipolar disorder with psychotic features. Haq’s lawyers contend Haq was insane and had a diminished capacity at the time of the shootings.

According to medical records, the 32-year-old first began experiencing mental health problems when he was in high school and was diagnosed as having a bipolar disorder in 1996 while in dental school. Over the next 10 years, Haq experienced delusions, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, mood swings and tried to take his own life. He was treated with various drugs but thought lithium best helped him control his behaviors and moods.

Missett told jurors the severity of Haq’s symptoms increased dramatically in July 2005 after he had been taken off of lithium.

Jurors also heard from a man who first met Haq through a mutual friend in 2004. Like the previous witnesses who had interacted with Haq before July 28, 2006, Kelly Turner portrayed Haq as an unstable individual.

Kelly described Haq as someone who could not keep a job and recalled Haq walking out of a telemarketing job selling ballpoint pens on his first day on the job. “He thought the sales manager was watching him, looking funny at him, standing behind him, and talking about him behind his back.” Turner said Haq also seemed to have “little man syndrome” because he tended to overreact to situations by shouting loudly and using vulgarities.

–In Session staff