His brother's mental illness isolated his family. Now he's helping other caregivers

"For years, Mitul Desai felt that the best way to deal with his little brother's schizophrenia was to avoid talking about it. His brother had become angry and withdrawn during his first year in college in 1996, and then started hearing and seeing things that weren't there. Over four years doctors told the family he had everything from alcoholism to bipolar disorder, until finally he got the correct diagnosis."

"Desai compartmentalized. During these years, he focused on the brilliant career he was building as an intellectual property attorney, Wall Street analyst and senior adviser at the State Department. From the office he helped his family by navigating the health care system, talking to the experts and keeping on top of the endless forms and phone calls required to keep his brother stable."

"His parents, especially his father, handled the day-to-day, he says. Nobody around him understood what it was like to have a close family member with a severe mental illness, so he kept quiet. "I felt we were the only family in the world going through this," he says. He and his parents couldn't even talk about their emotions with one other. It was like they were all trapped in their own silos, unable to connect."

Mitul Desai's brother developed schizophrenia during college, experiencing hallucinations and misdiagnoses over four chaotic years. Family life involved emergencies, hospital trips, and efforts to keep neighbors from calling police. Desai compartmentalized by building an accomplished career while managing healthcare logistics from the office and relying on his parents for day-to-day care. The family could not discuss emotions, creating isolation and emotional strain. Desai became angry, anxious and depressed, saved research and resources, and eventually quit his corporate job to volunteer at Fountain House to help others in similar situations.

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