The real-life docu-series “Six Schizophrenic Brothers” recalls the harrowing story of the Galvin brothers. This series covers the Galvin family’s devastating impact of schizophrenia, which affected six out of twelve siblings (Ten Boys & Two Girls).
The series Six Schizophrenic Brothers features the Galvin siblings sharing their experiences and daily difficulties.
It is a poignant look at the complexities of the mental health of the six siblings in a family and explores the love and challenges of living with a severe mental illness.
This series portrays the lives of 14 family members of the Galvin family and shows how they overcame their challenges.
Here are the six brothers’ all born between 1945 and 1960 details, who struggled their whole life dealing with schizophrenia.
Peter Galvin is No More With Us
Peter Galvin was the youngest of all the Galvin brothers to be diagnosed with schizophrenia.
He was just 14 when he was diagnosed with serious mental health issues and started to act strange since then.
His siblings noticed that he had changed from a quiet child who enjoyed privacy to someone who liked playing pranks.
People also believe that the traumatic event and Peter’s brain disorder may be involved after he saw his father being paralyzed after a stroke.
Unfortunately, Peter passed away on October 17, 2023, before his 63rd birthday.
Jim Galvin Passed Away from an Overdose of His Medications
Jim Galvin was the second eldest son in the Galvin family. He grew up feeling insecure about the attention and love his elder brother received.
After Jim was diagnosed with schizophrenia, his parents made his well-being their main concern.
They also asked Jim and his wife, Kathy, to look after his younger brothers and sisters.
Moreover, Jim’s mental health issue not only led problem to him but also to his younger siblings.
It was known that he sexually abused his own youngest sister, Mary, for more than a year and was abusive and violent towards his wife.
In 1984, Jim and his wife decided to live apart, and his wife took their son, Jimmy, with her.
Tragically, On March 2, 2001, Jim was found dead after he was found overdosed on his medications.
Joseph Galvin was a Hockey Player in his High School
Joseph, a.k.a Joe, was known as one of the Galvin family’s most reserved and quiet members.
After he graduated from high school, he excelled at playing hockey, and everyone believed that he had a promising future after he secured a job with an airline in Chicago.
But, out of nowhere, Joseph woke up to a voice in his head that made him send a threatening email to his boss, resulting in his job firing.
Currently, he seems to be out of touch with his family, and Joseph’s whereabouts are scarce.
According to Robert Kolker’s book “Hidden Valley Road,” Joseph sent $500 to Michael’s daughter to help pay for her college books because they couldn’t afford them.
Donald Galvin is Now 78 Years Old
Donald Galvin is the oldest child of the Galvin family and is 79 years old as of 2025.
Donald was the first to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, which really changed how he acted.
He started experiencing symptoms like violent tendencies and auditory hallucinations, which even led him to attempt the murder of his ex-wife, Jean.
Donald currently lives in an assisted living facility in Pueblo, Colorado. He also attended his brother Peter’s memorial in June 2024.
Brian Galvin Was Abusive In Nature
Brian Galvin had a great childhood. When he was in high school, he performed with a band.
After high school, he moved to California with his bandmates to become a rock star, where he met his future girlfriend, Noni.
In 1973, with his mental issues, Brian killed Noni after shooting her face and committed suicide later.
Brian’s death shocked the Galvin family, especially his younger siblings, who were expecting him to overcome it from medication treatment.
Matthew Galvin Underwent Brain Surgery
Matthew was the only brother out of six who didn’t have schizophrenia naturally.
In 1976, he went through brain surgery, which is said to be the reason why his behavior suddenly shifted.
When he was a child, his brother Joe beat him badly, and as a result, he had to have surgery on his head.
Besides that, he also had a severe head injury while playing on the hockey team, which made his mental health even worse.
Since then, things have never been the same for him.
After the surgery, Matthew spent a lot of time in a care home and lived by himself in government-assisted housing.
Then, in 2019, he visited his brothers Michael and Peter to celebrate his 61st birthday.
Additional Information
- The youngest siblings Rausch said she was sexually abused by James and said it was not related to his schizophrenia.
- Robert Kolker said that most of the childs were athletes, football stars, hockey stars and musicians.
- Margarey Galvin, one of the Galvin family’s daughters is now a reputed artist today.
