Maine Shooter Robert Card’s Psychiatric Diagnosis Finally Revealed by IG. No Drug Information Released.

August 7, 2024

It would appear that the U.S. Military is going down the path of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) when it comes to providing detailed mental health information. The recent release of the investigation on Maine shooter Robert Card by the U.S. Army Inspector General is chock full of useless information, but missing what many would argue is most important…what psychiatric drugs Card was prescribed prior to his murderous rampage.

Can’t any government agency ever just provide a straight answer? Apparently not. The Inspector General’s (IG) investigation basically rehashes what the media already has repeated ad nauseam… Robert Card was hearing voices, his behavior had regressed, and his family and co-workers were concerned about him, worrying he may hurt himself or others.

While grateful for the IG’s recap, it was the one and only new piece of information that the IG provided that really matters. The IG, unlike anyone on the State of Maine’s Independent Commission, at least, finally, let us know what Card had been diagnosed with.  Here’s how it went for the Army Sergeant.

In May of 2023, Card’s family reported to local law enforcement that Card’s behavior was deteriorating.

By July of 2023, Card had reported to his annual military training at West Point where Command believed his behavior had deteriorated and ordered Card to undergo a Command Directed Behavioral Health Evaluation.

On July 16, 2023, Card was evaluated at the Keller Army Community Hospital (KACH) at West Point, which recommended Card receive an additional evaluation at Four Winds Hospital, a private facility in New York and military health care provider.

On July 24, 2023, Four Winds advised Card’s Command that the Sergeant may need a “higher level of care.” One day later, Card advised Four Winds that he had “submitted a 72-hour request for discharge and release from treatment.”

On July 26, 2023, Four Winds advised Card that it had “applied for a court hearing to involuntarily retain him at their facility with a scheduled court date on August 2, 2023.” At that point Card agreed to stay at Four Winds and Card was discharged from Four Winds on August 3, 2023. Four Winds categorized Card as “low risk” of harm to himself and others and cleared him to return to work.

When Card returned home to Maine, he ended his active-duty military status and became increasingly withdrawn from family and friends. Card spoke with a nurse from KACH on August 11, advising that he had stopped taking his medication, had not enrolled in his follow up heath care with Telemynd. Card never performed any military duties or served in duty status after leaving Four Winds.

So, what the IG finally has revealed is that Card had been diagnosed with “Brief Psychotic Disorder (BPD).” This is another of those fraudulent psychiatric disorders with which there is no objective, confirmable abnormality in the brain to prove he has this psychiatric disorder. Nevertheless, there are treatments beginning with serious mind-altering drugs.

Did the IG tell us what drugs? Nope. This of course is standard operating procedure when it comes to psychiatric drugging. BPD is explained in the DSM-5 as “sudden onset of psychotic behavior that lasts less than 1 month followed by complete remission with possible future relapses.”

There are three treatment options listed: Antipsychotics, Psychotherapy, and brief hospitalization. Looks like Card got the full package of psychiatric voodoo. He was hospitalized, drugged, and apparently set up with therapy.

The question of the century when it comes to Card’s behavior, what drugs was he prescribed at Four Winds, what was his “treatment” there and what drugs was he prescribed when he left Four Winds? C’mon. You can tell us. But of course, the IG, like the Governor’s Commission, didn’t share that information. Why?

Well, what are some of the known adverse reactions to antipsychotics?  Irritability, mental impairment, depressed level of consciousness, anxiety, depression, confusion, agitation, derealization, disinhibition, abnormal dreams, altered mood, hallucinations, aggressive or hostile behavior, aggression, delusion depersonalization, psychoses, rage, and suicide to name a few.

Adverse effects of the antipsychotic drugs recommended to “treat” BPD may cause the symptoms that Card was experiencing that got him diagnosed and admitted to a psychiatric facility. Brilliant! You can’t make this up. Oh, and remember Card was released with Four Winds categorizing Card as “low risk” to harm himself or others.

Naturally, when questioned about this, Four Winds psychiatric staff would probably blame Card for refusal to keep taking the serious mind-altering drugs. That’s how it always works, or the unprovable mental illness is blamed.

The military did try and get information from Four Winds but, as you can imagine, the hospital staff declined to speak with the IG’s investigators. According to reports by CNN, the IG’s report recommended that the Defense Health Agency should consider removing Four Winds as an authorized treatment facility, which uses Tricare/Humana.

That may provide some comfort to other military families, but Four Winds still has information that we need to know. What drug (or cocktail of drugs) was Card prescribed while at Four Winds and upon his release? Further, it would really be nice to know what medical tests (not psychiatric guessing) were performed to know whether Card suffered from a medical disease/ailment?

Recall that Card’s brain was examined at Boston University CTE Center and found that brain injury likely played a role in his symptoms and Card’s brain “showed significant degeneration…inflammation” and “small blood vessel injury.”

Four Winds and KACH need to come clean. What medical tests were performed in determining Card’s diagnosis and what drugs did Four Winds prescribe? When that information is finally made public, Card’s murderous behavior may finally be understood. Only at that point would it be useful to remove Four Winds from military use.