Can I help my brother?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Can I help my brother?
1
Wed, 12-08-2004 - 5:55pm

Hello everyone,
I found this message board today while searching for some answers.
I believe my brother might be bipolar. My father was diagnosed bipolar but he never got help. We were raised in a pretty crazy household.
I have been doing a lot of reading to see if this is what is going on with my brother. I am pretty sure it is, although I am not a doc and I am sure there is a lot more to this than I could learn on my own. He has strong mood swings that range from not wanting to live anymore to being so angry that he lashes out and does very scary things. The only person close to him is our Mom who does not see any of it. She just thinks it is the way he is. It makes me very sad, and I worry about him a lot.
Is there anything I can do? He is not open to therapy. His last anger bout was aimed at me and I don't know how to continue our relationship. I am getting afraid of him.

Any help? Thanks!!
~Laura

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-04-2003
Wed, 12-08-2004 - 6:27pm
My guess is, your mom doesn't see the problem in your brother, because she lived with it in your father. That and, don't you know, mental illness is not really a disease? LOL! That one always gets me, but sometimes the "older crowd" feels that way, becasue that is how they were brought up. I pray that I can bring up my boys with more of an open mind. and I degress, the only thing you can do for your brother, as long as he is not a threat to you or himself, is set boundries. You know he is sick, if he starts to lash out at you, explain clamly (easier said than done, but with some resolve, you can do it) you will not be treated as such and walk away. Call and check on him, but do not open yourself to his lashings. Also, maybe you can convince him to see a family practice physician and call ahead to warn the doc of what has been going on. Sometime people will "trust" an FP before a phsyciatrist. Good luck.
Kristin