Your brother is lucky to have you. I hope someday he realizes this. But then again if you have his son, he must know on some level how lucky he is.

The suicide thing is a good reason not to give too many meds at one time, but that does not change the fact that he needs them. I recall my doctor lowering the amount of pills given to me on a few occassions. Once she even asked if I had old meds. that I needed to give to her. I am stable right now, so she trusts me. She can also tell when I am not telling her the whole truth. I love the idea of a family member being in charge of the pills. Once on them for awhile, he may be able to handle the responsibility himself. The bottomline is he needs them and needs them NOW. Any chance you can go to the doctor with him? If you dispensed the pills, not only would you keep him safe, but you would also know if he stopped taking them. I saw an Oprah show recently where they had a couple celebrities on that had bi polar. Linda Hamilton (Terminator) and Sonny (General Hospital) both have the disease. Sonny's wife commented that he still thinks he can stop the meds and be okay. Is this kind of thinking part of the illness? If not, it should be. It seems to be common.