Family Care

In an earlier post I looked at an article out of India that showed a different perspective on mental illness. In it, the newspaper emphasized family support as a key to recovery. It all sounds very nice until something like this happens:
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Brothers' tragic end
Cops believe older of 2 siblings killed mentally disabled brother, then himself, as both feared other dying first

BY SAMUEL BRUCHEY AND ZACHARY R. DOWDY
STAFF WRITERS

February 2, 2005

In the past few years since their mother died, Roland Nielsen began caring for his mentally disabled younger brother, John, in the Levittown home where the two men had grown up nearly half a century ago.

But the responsibility of providing for the younger brother, who was unable to work, was a growing burden, especially as both men's health began to decline, police and neighbors said last night.

The result, they said, was tragic.

Yesterday afternoon, after more than a week of failing to reach John Nielsen, 54, by telephone, a mental health counselor contacted Nassau police. At 12:30 p.m., uniformed officers forced their way into the white colonial house on Sprucewood Drive and found both brothers dead from gunshot wounds.

"It appears to be a homicide-suicide," Nassau Homicide Det. Sgt. Richard Laurson said, adding that detectives believe the older brother committed the shootings.
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This case is troubling to me because I actually live mere blocks away from where this happened. I wouldn't have known about it if I hadn't seen it in the paper. What does it say when exactly the kind of people I want to help come to this kind of end in such close proximity to me?

I want to excuse myself by pointing out that there are over 50,000 residents of Levittown and I cannot know the stories of them all, but I'm not sure that's quite right. "Am I my brother's keeper?" In my opinion, we all should be, at least when they really need us ...

This terrible story reminds me of Motty whose daughter had had psychosurgery for serious OCD. What struck me most about Motty's story was her deep concern over who would care for her daughter after she had gone. She wondered who else could deal with her daughter's troubles and love her with all their heart? Would an end like the above be best for them too?

The options for these people seem to be so few and the burdens so heavy. My grandfather also wandered around, looking for help, and finding anything but ...

A mental health counselor was the one who called police. At least there was someone on the fringe of their lives who cared. It's still a shame.