If I could be a fly on the wall, I would have wanted to see the behind-closed-doors communication style of his mother. I did not know her and do not want to implicate her since I have not been a direct observer. But so many parents *think* and "look like" they are not a part of the problem when they really are. This is a huge problem throughout our society it's a type of emotional intelligence blindness. So many families are seen as "nice" people on the outside but close the doors and one will see another truth. Clearly Adam was suffering from feeling very disconnected. It's sad to note he had cut off ties with his father (something's up with that) who had remarried. It was also suggested he may have had Asperger's Syndrome which (now no longer in the DSM) puts one at-risk for normal social experiences. Also, the accumulation of disconnecting experiences can come from professionals, (eg, therapists, social workers, teachers, etc) and peers, as we've seen with bullying (Asperger's kids are at-risk of being bullied). I keep thinking about this great video we have which addresses parenting communication style with children: http://acesconnection.com/video/trauma-informed-care-theory-and-practice-2-hrs-9min