Friends, Family & Carers Forum

[jeanrose]

Hi

I've not ever really put this into words as for many years I felt I needed to protect my brother or maybe I bought into the family unspoken secret of hiding my brothers mental illness.

My brother has "threatened" suicide for over 20yrs though he's never attempted this I now see its been part of his mental illness. This behaviour has been what he's used to control the whole family and situate himself at the centre of it. There has only been myself and him self as our parents children and the out.come all these years later ( I'm.in my early 50s now) is that I've sustained a type of family scapegoat or rejection from the family while he gained a central position and inherited all the family wealth it now appears.

It's taken me so long to speak abt this as I've felt very afraid of him over the years also and took a submissive position in relation to him.

Years ago he yelled at me very loudly over the phone and since then I was fearful of him.

I think he may express a type of narcissistic personality.

So much to say but I feel like I've been frozen in relation to this significant relationship and scared to.speak up.in relation to it.

Thankyou for the chance to begin to connect on this topic.

[RiverSeal]

Hey @jeanrose, thank you for sharing your experiences with the community!

It sounds like you have been through a lot with your brother over the years and dealing with his behaviours. You are demonstrating your resilience by reaching out to the community here on the Forums. It can be hard to be vulnerable with your peers and you are brave in doing so in your post.

It can be really beneficial to share your experiences and I encourage you to stay connected. There are some other great places you can post on the Forums if you want to check out this post that lists a few: Looking for a space to connect with others? Find a... - SANE Forums

Thanks again for sharing your experiences!

Take care

RiverSeal