should Iget involve

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-07-2005
should Iget involve
5
Mon, 03-17-2008 - 6:02pm

Hello,


My brother's husband is dealing with serious mental problems. He is currently hospitalised for the second time in two months. Everyone is disturbed by the situation me, my family, his family. On his family side everything is very instable. His own mother suffers from anxiety and depression and she tihinks that she can help her son she contradics me all the time and even said that I was not suppose to get involved even if i'm a psychiatric nurse for two years. It's very difficult for me 'cause i know where this can lead us all. what should I do ?


Avatar for drshoshanna
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Mon, 03-17-2008 - 7:05pm

As a psychiatritric nurse and as a sister, you certainly have a responsibility to let your brother know what you feel is best in a situation like this. What your brother does with the information is of course up to him. You cannot force him to behave differently, but let him know you care about him, have training in this field and would like to be of help. Then ask him how you can be of help to him? It's up to him to let you know how and let you know how much he wants to learn and know.


Best wishes,

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-30-2005
Tue, 03-18-2008 - 3:16pm

Welcome to the board lady_28,


I think the best thing you can do is support your brother right now. Give him advice, but don't push it on him. Let him know that you are there for him and that listen to his concerns, etc. The last thing you want to do at this point is push him away.


Best of luck to you and your brother.

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-27-2004
Tue, 03-18-2008 - 3:46pm
I'm a little confused about who's having the problem: your brother's husband?
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-07-2005
Wed, 03-19-2008 - 9:51am

My husband's brother is hospitalized right now. And my step-mother told me not to get involve but she has mental issues her self. It's a complex situation. I feel like the mother wants to blame me for what is happening to her son. Last year we were all living together me ,my husband ,and his brother. We left the apartment because we got married in dec and I could not handle his brother anymore. Even my husband felt the same. Since we left in July , he stopped school and was no longer working.


Before all this happened, I told all his close family that they should keep an open eye and that he could have a mental illness . Nobody believe me and even told me not to say those thing. When the first crisis happened in January 2008 they were shocked. And now his mother is telling me that he is not my brother nor my son. I was so mad I didn't speak. I dare her telling me this . This woman doesn't even have proper manners . I don't know what to do. I think that I will just ignore them and help my husband.


lady

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-27-2004
Wed, 03-19-2008 - 10:19am

Okay, your husband's brother--that makes sense.


You are right about the complexity of the situation.