Yeah, I can definately feel your pain. Before my brother was in treatment, we got into some terrible fights. I mean, man to man fist fights. Even during the begining of treatment, he would call and ask for money and then I'd find out he was smoking it up or drinking it away. Thank God he seems to have stablized these last few years.

I know from alot of the research I and my mother did in trying to help him, we learned that alot of mental illnesses will onset usually between 18 - 24 years of age...my brother was about 20 when all this started happening. That and sometimes alot of stress can cause mental illness. So in the case of our brother, we're surmissing that the weed, a possible predisposition to mental illness on his fathers side of the family, and stress of being away from home is what brought it all on. He's never really told us EVERYTHING that went on when he was away so that is our best guess based on what we do know.

The best thing you can do is research, research, research. My mother and I were able to find resource groups, doctors, and alot of other information to help him out. It was rough in the begining, but it's now to the point where he can do most things for himself and is largely responsbile. It's a tough thing to go through. Hang in there.