Sounds like my concerns with my 40 yo nephew. Both of his parents are mentally ill, so I'm sure that's part of it. I'm the only one in the family who communicates with him. He's full of anger, has developed extreme political views recently, and hates women. He emailed me a few days ago, said I was shallow since I didn't agree with his latest political view, and said we're through. I haven't responded to his email. Frankly, I'm glad it's over. I'm open if he wants to communicate again, but I don't feel the need to initiate it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My younger adult brother is mentally ill and homeless. He's a gentle giant (vegan!) 99 percent of the time but if he perceives he is under attack, he will defend himself/retaliate. My parents coddled him when lived at home but now he's wandering the streets of the DMV as a ticking time bomb. I apologize in advance.

Why don't you give the police a heads-up? Your "advance apologies" on an anonymous forum do nothing to protect the public.

The police and EMS are very familiar with him, but can't arrest him preemptively.

Anonymous wrote:My younger adult brother is mentally ill and homeless. He's a gentle giant (vegan!) 99 percent of the time but if he perceives he is under attack, he will defend himself/retaliate. My parents coddled him when lived at home but now he's wandering the streets of the DMV as a ticking time bomb. I apologize in advance.

Why don't you give the police a heads-up? Your "advance apologies" on an anonymous forum do nothing to protect the public.

My younger adult brother is mentally ill and homeless. He's a gentle giant (vegan!) 99 percent of the time but if he perceives he is under attack, he will defend himself/retaliate. My parents coddled him when lived at home but now he's wandering the streets of the DMV as a ticking time bomb. I apologize in advance.

As someone with an adult brother with issues out there for all the world to see... If you can keep the peace, great, but if you have any doubts anout the safety of being around him (or having your kids around him, etc) follow your gut. Things can escalate very quickly and in unpredictable ways. That said, if there is any way to salvage your relationship with him and support him, that would be ideal (but not always possible).

I would work on accepting him the way he is.

This seems to be more your concern than his. Maybe he doesn't think he has a problem. In that case there isn't much for you to do.

My younger, adult brother has issues. I can tell there are some mental issues but I don't know what. If I'm honest, he seems *exactly* like the type of person where later you think "Yeah, I knew deep down he'd be a mass shooter." I'll explain there's nothing specific. At all. And, *sometimes* he gets on track in life, and I get some hope that he'll be "normal," move out on his own, get a real job, start a family. But, after a few months of some hope, he gets involved with weird people/freaks out at my parents/acts in some other odd way.

Lately he is not open to much love or communication, and he's gone through something (a few family members know but are keeping it private for now).

Having been through a little counseling myself during a darker time... I wish I could just shake him, and tell him to go talk with someone. I don't know, maybe he has taken some steps to improve his mental health.

What would you do?