How to know when it's time to walk away from a sibling

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After Prince Harry's accounts of a troubled relationship with his brother, Prince William, in his memoir, "Spare," made waves, you may have wondered if there was any hope for a relationship so fraught - especially if you're navigating a similar sort of rift.

Though strong relationships among siblings have been linked with greater health and happiness, sibling estrangement is probably more common than schisms between parents and adult children, said Joshua Coleman, a psychologist in private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area and a senior fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families. Parents are more highly motivated to repair those relationships because of their role and the shame and sadness that can come from being on the outs with a child, Coleman said.

"For siblings, there aren't the same kind of expectations of staying in touch," said Coleman, author of "Rules of Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict." "Siblings don't have the same kind of role violation that can produce shame that can serve as a motivator or as an impetus towards repair."

Distancing or ending a relationship with a sibling can still feel difficult or shameful, but people who initiate estrangement feel there are benefits, according to Coleman.

"Assuming they've done their due diligence and the (other) sibling remains either unable or unwilling to modify or change their behavior, a break from the relationship may be better for mental health than a continuance," Coleman said.

For cases that aren't so clear-cut, Coleman has guiding principles for knowing when the relationship is worth saving and when cutting ties is better.