Throughout my life, I saw my brother through different lenses. When we were kids I saw him as my best friend. As a tween I wanted to help him. As a teen growing into adulthood I have grown to resent him for what he has done to my parents and I. When I was little, my brother was a raucous child, always getting into trouble and causing mischief. No one thought anything of it. Boys will be boys, they always said. The fits and tantrums were normal for a growing boy. I was 8 the first time his fits increased. He sat screaming and banging on his door for hours. Screaming at my parents about how much he hated them at the ripe age of 5. I couldn't stand it. I thought my parents were trapping him. I didn't understand the depth of what the next years would bring. Up until I turned 15 everything stayed the same. One day, I got home after school, and I could hear the screaming from outside the house. I walked in and everyone was everywhere. My brother was standing by the railing upstairs, my mom was in the foyer screaming up at him, and my dad was directly next to my brother - holding him by the arm. I stood, shocked. The rest of the night didn't go well. He got admitted to Alexian Brother's Mental Hospital that night. Over the next three years, up until present day, he has slowly lost his support. He lost me first, after he attacked my dog. He lost my mom next after leaving so many bruises on her body you couldn't tell what was new and what wasn't. Surprisingly, my dad is the last holdout. He still tries, but I see the anger in his eyes every time he hears that my brother attacked my mom. I see how much it pains him to know that my brother is too scared of him to attack the 'strong one', so he goes for my mom. It's slowly driving our family apart. Anytime my parents argue, it's about him. Anytime our days are ruined, he is always there to make it worse. Anytime he makes progress, it's one step forward and three steps back. I want to pursue a career in mental health so that I can help people like me. Like my parents. People whose lives have been orbiting around a destructive source for ages. My parents didn't deserve to have their lives ruined by a person who refuses to change. I didn't deserve to have the responsibilities of being the 'good child' and the caretaker. No one does. Everyone deserves to have someone in their corner who understands.