Violent Brother

The thing about this is, my brother never had a violent past. He was kind of a quiet guy. Then, about 5 years ago, he started to get a bit wild with friends and smoked marijuana very heavily. This is strange because I know that weed doesn't make one aggressive or violent. But for 5 years now, my brother is 22, he has done nothing but sit in the house, day and night, watching television, eating and sleeping. He doesn't even talk to anyone except when he's asking for something.

About a year ago, out of the blue in the middle of the night, my brother went wild, screaming about us treating him like he's crazy, smashing our television, and trying to break the glass of my mum's car. We called the police and he was put in a centre that would help him. This did nothing. He returned home and still sat in front of the TV, spoke to no one and did nothing with his life.

Throughout the time, he randomly swears and curses at people when they try to talk to him. Tonight, he threw another random fit and smashed the television remote control this time. For the first time he started a fight with me, head butting me.

I really don't know why he's like this or what to do. We do think he's still smoking marijuana in secret, but we can't prove it. I would appreciate any help you can give me.

Disclaimer

• Dr. Schwartz responds to questions about psychotherapy and mental health problems, from the perspective of his training in clinical psychology.
• Dr. Schwartz intends his responses to provide general educational information to the readership of this website; answers should not be understood to be specific advice intended for any particular individual(s).
• Questions submitted to this column are not guaranteed to receive responses.
• No correspondence takes place.
• No ongoing relationship of any sort (including but not limited to any form of professional relationship) is implied or offered by Dr. Schwartz to people submitting questions.
• Dr. Schwartz, Mental Help Net and CenterSite, LLC make no warranties, express or implied, about the information presented in this column. Dr. Schwartz and Mental Help Net disclaim any and all merchantability or warranty of fitness for a particular purpose or liability in connection with the use or misuse of this service.
• Always consult with your psychotherapist, physician, or psychiatrist first before changing any aspect of your treatment regimen. Do not stop your medication or change the dose of your medication without first consulting with your physician.