Psychiatrist testifies in Hinckley hearing

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A psychiatrist says he doesn't think John Hinckley, the man who shot Ronald Reagan, should be allowed longer stays outside a Washington mental hospital.

Dr. Robert Phillips testified Monday he doesn't think St. Elizabeths, where Hinckley has been treated for three decades, has adequately prepared for issues that could arise during Hinckley's extended periods away from the hospital.

Phillips expressed concern over U.S. Secret Service surveillance of Hinckley during visits with his mother in which Hinckley momentarily focused on shelves in a Williamsburg, Va., bookstore that include books about Reagan and assassinations, the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press reported.

Hinckley, 56, found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan, is currently allowed to spend 10 days a month at his elderly mother's home in Williamsburg. Federal prosecutors are trying to block a proposal from the hospital that would increase the length of the visits to as long as 24 days and could lead to his eventual release.

Phillips testified last week that Hinckley suffers narcissistic and schizoid personality disorder. Hinckley's issues, however, with major depression and unspecified psychotic disorder are in full remission, the psychiatrist said.

Phillips said he was concerned that Hinckley sometimes lied to doctors about his activities during his few hours of unsupervised time while visiting his mother, CNN reported.

The psychiatrist said Hinckley also has what he termed "distorted relationships" with women. Hinckley's fixation on actress Jodie Foster led him to shoot Reagan in an attempt to impress her. While Hinckley said in 1995 that he no longer had feelings for Foster, pictures of her were found in his hospital room at that time, CNN said.