We had a bit of a family emergency this last weekend. I was in Vancouver and spent a good portion of my time there in a psychiatric ward. My brother’s dealing with a lot right now, was unknowingly bipolar and unmedicated, and tried to overdose. The suicide attempt was really one of a few surprises this weekend, so it wasn’t fun.

The whole family was in Vancouver for this, and it was interesting once we were all together. All of us seem to have to have the same response to grief and stress, which is to try and laugh. As a result, the time we spent at the hospital was strangely hilarious most of the time. I spent ages cracking my brother up with padded wall jokes alone, although I’m told manics make for easy audiences.

He’s doing well now. Physically he’s fine, and I’m hoping the bipolar medication will help him level out and get back on track. Really only time will tell. It was very frightening, the idea that I could never have seen him again. If nothing else, this has made it clear that I need to make more of an effort to visit him. We’ve grown apart somewhat since we moved cities, and that’s unfortunate.