FT. LEWIS, Wash. — A soldier accused of trying to pass military secrets to Al Qaeda suffers from bipolar disorder and other mental health problems, a psychologist testified at his court-martial Wednesday.
"He has been an outsider, a social misfit, most of his life," Jack Norris said of Spc. Ryan G. Anderson.
Norris, a psychologist at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., said he began evaluating Anderson in mid-July, eventually diagnosing him with bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression.
He said Anderson had always been socially awkward. "The friends he has had usually revolved around their mutual involvement in some arcane interest," Norris said.
Anderson was videotaped providing military information to federal agents who prosecutors say he thought were Al Qaeda agents. Testimony concluded Wednesday.
