Bobby Bird Case Study Essay

On January 15th 2008, I, researcher Bobby Bird, began a case study on a young man who was entering the Marine Corps. My research will show a correlation with family mental illness, environmental stressors and adolescent development with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Alex was chosen because of his biological history of depression and family mental illness, poverty and his choses military profession during a time of war. This case study was centered on Alex, a twenty two year old male from rural Arkansas. When this study began, Alex lived with his mother and step-father and two younger siblings. He signed up to join the Marine Corps and was three months away from shipping out to boot camp and then the Marine Corps School of Infantry. Alex’s

I met him at his house with his parents and siblings. His mother was anxious to see him and very concerned for his wellbeing. She wrote him many letters, but only received two in return. Both letters sent by Alex were very short and stated that he was alive and to send toiletries and personal items. When Alex entered the front door, his family members rushed to greet him. Alex simply replied, “Hey guys”, placed his bags on the floor and calmly sat down. Alex appeared drained and distant, he was home on thirty days’ vacation and already he seemed like he wanted to leave. That night I had the opportunity to meet with Alex alone. The first thing he told me was that he didn’t want to talk about his experiences. I told him that I understood and asked him what his plans were. Alex had been very distant the entire day, he appeared disconnected and on edge. During the thirty days, Alex said very little, drank profusely and spent most of his time shooting targets behind his home. On the last day of his vacation, he told me he didn’t want to be researched anymore and that he wanted to be left alone. I reached out to his family and his command with my concerns, but to no avail. My finding were that Alex had become disconnected due to the unknown events that transpired in Afghanistan. Alex was self-medicating due to improperly developed coping skills. It is my opinion that Alex needs to seek help before his condition worsens. At this time I have decided to postpone my research for personal