He is brilliant, but unstable. He never had much common sense. During his freshman year in physics he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. I believe it was triggered by an overdose of hallucinogens (the effects of which I was witness to), but I have never told anyone this. He was put on anti-psychotic medication, but after a couple months decided to stop taking it. It took him 6 years to finish his degree, and his marks were abysmal. Still, it is an almost miraculous accomplishment for a man with a serious psychosis.

After graduating he continued to abuse illicit substances, kept irregular hours, and earned money through day trading. He amassed tens of thousands of dollars this way and invested much of it in physical precious metals. Once, when I needed money, I gave him $400. A couple days later he gave me $800. I would have done this more often, but I was scared of losing money.

At some point he realized the futility of this existence. In 2010 he converted to Catholicism and pursued a stockbroker's accreditation. He weaned himself off the drug s (though never completely) and started a small investing business.

Last year my parents were ecstatic when he announced he'd been accepted to an MA/PhD program in biophysics. None of us had suspected he could be organized and self-motivated enough to get himself through the registration process, and besides, we all thought his marks were too low. He was given a deferred acceptance, contingent on him acquiring additional computer programming languages, and was scheduled to begin this Fall.

Then his money ran out. I learned he had made some bad investments and was in debt. He failed to secure a teaching assistant role at the university, which might have supported him through his studies. He didn't want to take any money from our parents. He became desperate and confided to me - perfectly serious - that he had decided to throw away biophysics and become a 'rig pig' in the Alberta tar sands. I ratted him out and our mother pleaded with him. He relented. At this moment it is still uncertain whether he'll be going back to university. My guess is no. I am afraid of a backwards slide into drug abuse.

I am trying to get him apprenticed to a blacksmith I know. There's something about the two of us that draws us to working with our hands. I suspect science would never fulfill him, and besides, I think he needs to work in something utterly real and primitive in order to keep him grounded and building virtuous habits. And I rather like the idea of the two of us working together. I hope it pans out.

I will pray for you.
 

I will also pray for him also.

Many men with schizophrenia find themselves on an incessantly downward course, they nearly all smoke heavily and use whatever substances are available, they nearly all lose their fortunes, become dependent on welfare etc. The few who don't are those who have families that have the means and the patience to keep picking them back up, dusting them down and helping them with a new start.

You're doing the right thing, but it is going to continue to be a tough road, keeping him out of the gutter that the illness is dragging him towards. It is better if the whole family is open about it and is on the same side.

In his lucid moments it's good if he accepts the need for structure, and those around him have to be flexible enough to accept that at times he will be out of action, but only temporarily. The tragedy for many is that during a low ebb various irreversible things happen that result in ruination. The well functioning ones I have met have either had good income protection insurance from the start, or wealthy families. It's an expensive illness.

My brother also had schizophrenia. He is dead now. And I also have mental illness, though I do not have a name for my problems. So I understand. I will pray for him.