Dear Readers: I have a 30 yr. old son who has drastic mood swings. He is not on drugs, although he did do heavy drugs as a teenager. Little things will set him off into an uncontrollable anger. He does not physically hurt anyone, or himself, he lashes out angrily for no reason. One minute he is fine, and the least little thing sets him off, or he imagines things, like one day at work (I work for him) he belittled me because I had the wrong look on my face, and wasn't smiling at that moment. I quit; three days later he called, asking me if I wanted my job back. It's not just things like that. He doesn't trust anyone; he talks bad about everyone, yet he loves them. You would never know he was feeling bad toward a person when you saw him with them. He can't sleep, he is always flying off the handle for no reason, then asks like nothing happened, then gets depressed. He spends a lot of money, is a binge spender. He is angry most of the time, or happy, no middle zone. He won't go back to Dr. They put him on antidepressants, it did no good. Can you help? He is under a lot of stress with his business, but a lot of it he brings on himself. I am afraid he is on the verge of a breakdown. Thank you.

If he won't help himself at 30, I doubt if I could help him either. My first advice would be to find a new job. Secondly, explain to him without mincing words why you can't work for him any longer.

One trip to the doctor and one round on medication that didn't work is not enough to say that he tried. Everyone is different and it takes many visits and sometimes different combinations of medications to find the one that works for him. Let him know that you love him and are always there for him, but unless he gets help and sticks with it, you will no longer work for him.

Talk to the doctor and ask him to help you find a support group of friends and relatives of people dealing with this type of behavior. If there are none available, perhaps counseling will help you understand more of what he is feeling in turn unable you to help him.

It's never easy when a friend or relative is going through destructive behaviors. Love them, support them and be there for them, but don't enable them.