 Pat's sister Carol was institutionalized with mental illness, his brother, Tom, developed schizophrenia (and later committed suicide at age 33), and Pat himself also attempted suicide in 1975.Pat has indicated violent memories of his father haunt his every waking moment, a theme the author fictionalizes in his novel "The Prince of Tides".However, in later years, following his retirement from the Marines, Donald Conroy mended relationships with his children.