Sajhauser, Tolerance comes with awareness. In most cases, families that have an "abnormal" relative are absolutely clueless about the particular disorder. That which we are ignorant about, we fear. And fear breeds intolerance. Take the issue of HIV/AIDS. People who don't have any knowledge about the causes and transmission of the HIV virus are mortified in the company of someone who is HIV+. But those who are aware about what causes HIV and how you can get it, are *gradually* able to tolerate being around the person, and ultimately to accept the person. You are right, awareness is not the "cure" because the "abnormal" person imay inflict harm or injury (physical or mental) to you or your loved one. Instinctively, we retaliate, sometimes violently. But that is true of a "normal" human interaction, too. If you go to any Nepali party in the US, after some time brawls for different reasons inevitably erupt. One of the frequent reasons is drunkenness. If you can envision being "abnormal" as being "drunk" and therefore in a state of mental aberration, then perhaps you can be more "tolerant" of the "abnormal" person's violent behavior. Of course, that's no valid excuse for them to act so rash because you are the recipient of the violence. But being aware that this person is not in the right state of mind is a start toward some form of tolerance. At least it will prevent *violent* retaliation from you, which triggers more violence and frustration in the other person who is already suffering from mental violence that we cannot even begin to imagine. A good way to "understand" normality and abnormality is to view it as a spectrum or continuum -- we all fall on some part of the spectrum. Happy New Year everyone!