Sisters

I don't know what to do anymore. My brother Christian, who I used to admire so much, had been suffering from drug addiction for many years and had often been violent. A couple of years ago things escalated. He suddenly attacked a stranger in our town - for no reason at all. When the police arrived, he even attacked an officer. He was then taken to a psychiatric hospital, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Finally, we had an explanation for his behaviour. We thought it was the first step towards recovery, but we were disappointed. He was discharged after a short time. The doctor told my dad that both the staff and the other patients were afraid of him.

Since then, we have been heading inexorably towards disaster. My brother refuses all forms of help and does not acknowledge how ill he really is. On my last birthday, the worst moment happened: he threatened my mother's husband with a knife. I had to use all my strength to stop him. It was then that I realised that we had long since lost control. We live in constant fear - never knowing when he will come back and what will happen next. We can't just ignore him, because he always finds a way to interfere with our lives. The uncertainty and constant threat wear us down.

My partner is particularly suffering from this situation. Every morning my brother waits outside his place of work, stares at him, puts him under psychological pressure. He knows how to instil fear in us. My partner has an important position in his company and a year ago my brother called the police and said my partner was stealing from the company. It turned out to be an unfounded lie, of course, but the damage was done. Now we live in constant fear that he will do something similar again. My partner is afraid to confront him for fear that another accusation will destroy his career forever.

We have called the police countless times. But they are powerless. As long as my brother doesn't hurt anyone seriously, they can't do anything. He knows the rules inside out, he knows how far he can go without getting arrested. He lurks outside my mother's flat, threatening her, shouting, but always just below the line that would justify intervention. We don't know how much longer this can go on. Will it be too late at some stage?

My mother is now totally intimidated. She hardly leaves the house for fear of running into him in the street. He has already stood outside her door twice, shouting angrily into the hallway. I can't stand the sound of his voice, his threats. Sometimes I sit up at night and wonder how we will ever get out of this nightmare.

We are trapped in a vicious circle from which there seems to be no escape. Neither of us dares to do anything for fear that he will go completely crazy. He knows where we live and where my parents work. This constant threat wears us all down. We want to help him, but we don't know how. It feels like we're just waiting for the police to arrest him for missing dates of court hearings. Then maybe, just maybe, he'll finally get the help he so desperately needs. We want a solution more than anything - for us, but especially for my brother.