Verbal Abuse

My father has had a track record of verbal abuse with myself, my mother and two sisters. He often puts my mother down and blames her for things she may have no control over. She rarely sticks up for herself though she knows this is the case. Sadly, this in not my major concern. My biggest worry is that at times my dad can just lose his temper in the blink of an eye (most often for no reason). It isn't something that happens too frequently (5 - 10 times a year), but when it happens it is very bad. He gets in your face and screams, says the most horrible things about how worthless you are, a verbally abusive fit of complete rage! He has thrown things, kicked things, and even once threw a butchers knife across the kitchen. The most physical it have ever become is pushing, though once he pushed so hard I was knocked over and hit my head on a bed frame. But I fear that when he loses his temper like that he could become physically abusive. I can remember instances of this happening since I was 8 - I am now 23. It has certainly left scars and mental images that have never gone away. I worry about my younger sisters who still live in the house as well as for my dad - I just don't understand how someone who is generally decent can just snap the way he does, he goes completly crazy, like a whole other person. Could this be some psychological disorder, chemical imbalance or just lashed out feeling from an unhappy childhood of his own?!

I love my dad because he is family - but when instances like this arise, I fear the worst for my family and wouldn't hesitate to have him arrested should he ever lay a hand on my sisters or mother. I want to help him but I don't know how or where to begin. He never owns up to his rage, rarely appologizes, and the family has always dealt with it by not talking about it and letting it go.

I appreciate your advice in this matter.