Michael Simon
Everyone experiences mood ups and downs. Lack of sleep, poor nutrition, or even just having a bad day can send us swinging from one emotion to the next. But in some cases, it can be a cause for concern and a sign of something more serious. That was the case with actor Taye Diggs’ sister, Christian. Christian was diagnosed with schizophrenia when she began experiencing mood swings that were considered abnormal. Schizophrenia is a condition that affects approximately 24 million people worldwide.
Schizophrenia is a long-term health condition that is often described as a type of mental illness that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves. Symptoms associated with the disorder include hallucinations, delusions, being disconnected from one’s emotions, and not taking care of oneself. Treatment options often include a combination of therapy, medication, and rehabilitation, depending on the individual’s needs. While overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis may play a role, studies have found that black people are 2.4 times more likely to have schizophrenia. More likely to be diagnosed Schizophrenia affects more people of different races than it does people of other races.
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, All American The actor spoke to Essence about the experience, which helped him grow closer to Christian through his brotherly perspective. LivThe Your PosSCZible (LYP) campaign is a national Bristol Myers Squibb initiative designed to shine a light on schizophrenia by sharing stories of people living with schizophrenia and their caregivers who strive to achieve their daily goals, while also providing resources and tools.
essence: Can you tell us a bit about the LYP campaign and why you decided to get involved?
Taye Diggs: That’s a great starting point. A lot of people don’t know that my sister was diagnosed with schizophrenia. As you can imagine, it was a huge setback for our family. With time and patience, and my sister seeing a really good therapist and getting the right medication, we were able to get through it.
So I thought now would be the perfect time to talk about these mental illnesses, and specifically with schizophrenia, the Live Your PosSCZible campaign seemed to fit that bill — a place for people who suffer or are suffering from this mental illness to go for support and information and things like that. This is something that’s been on my mind for a long time, and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to share it with people and give my sister a chance to speak up and tell her story.
I think the work they do and the efforts they make are fantastic. When did you first notice signs that your sister had this disorder?
Well, at first it was very worrying because of the mood swings, the out of her league behavior, etc. Then my mom made me go to the doctor and we realized she wasn’t just experiencing terrible mood swings. And she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. It was a breath of relief to know that what she was experiencing and her behavior had a name. But the only information I had about schizophrenia was from movies and stereotypes. So it was very worrying and I, as her brother, felt helpless. Luckily, we introduced her to a really great therapist. And slowly but surely, we started to see what she was experiencing and that there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
Once my sister found the right combination of medication recommended by her doctor and therapist, she began to see some really amazing changes and is now doing great. It was a really emotional day when we filmed the commercial for this campaign. [moment] She was so proud to be able to talk about this issue that she thought would end her life, and now she is able to open up and feel really confident in who she is, and it has brought us closer together too.
That’s great. You mentioned in your story that when she started going to therapy, you started to learn more as a family. What kind of self-education did you have to do to support her?
I remember one of the first times, she was applying for a job, I think she wanted to be a flight attendant, and I immediately said, “What’s wrong? Are you OK? Can you work?” And she laughed and said, “Yeah, you can do anything. You can do anything you want. You just have to figure out how to do it.” She kept giving us more and more information, and we just kept falling off the edge of a cliff.
As her brother, how have you supported her and continue to support her?
I had to take the case into account and also treat her as an older brother. So the most important thing was support, patience and making sure she felt supported. At the time, it didn’t feel like much. But apparently, in my sister’s words, that was all she needed besides the help she was getting from the doctors. So at that moment, we didn’t feel like we were doing much. After all, we were doing the best we could.
How have you differentiated between the sisters you know and love and those who may be having seizures?
It’s been hard because my sister does a really good job of self-monitoring. When I go out to eat with her or attend a social event, she knows exactly where and when to change her behavior so she isn’t triggered, what she can drink if she is drinking, how much and when to politely leave for whatever reason. I’m really impressed with how well she self-monitors.
So going back to what you said about when you first found out she had schizophrenia, you thought about the stereotypes you saw on TV. What are some misconceptions people have that you think we should forget?
They think your life is over and you have to find another way to live, but that’s not the case. You can keep all your dreams, you just need to figure out what it takes to keep going – living to your full potential. This mental illness is very complex and layered, but people seem to think you have many faces, that you’re like a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Every situation is different, but the more I talked to Christian, the more I realized this was very similar to the situation of someone who has a problem but is mature enough to look at it and figure out how to continue to move forward with their life the way they want to. It was certainly a lot more complicated than what I’m saying, but she was in control of it and whatever her therapist was telling her really reassured her. So when she told us her experience, we were reassured, too.
How did that affect your family? It seems like it helped bring your family closer together.
It’s for two reasons: it brought us all together, and unfortunately in family situations, sometimes something really intense happens, and it’s kind of an excuse for us all to get together.
So that was good, because I had to schedule meetings just to check in on my sister. But it also taught me to broaden my perspective, to think outside the box, and not judge situations on their face. The more I learned about this mental illness, the more silly I felt for making those assumptions, for feeling sorry for my sister, and for worrying that she wouldn’t be able to make holiday dinner.
When you hear bad news, first of all, don’t be negative. The situation is completely different from what I thought it would be, and my sister has grown. She has grown as a person, as a sister, and as a teacher. We are all very proud of her.
Do you have any words of encouragement or advice for families who are in a similar situation or who are feeling a bit anxious about getting an official diagnosis?
First, go to this website “Live Your PosSCZible.” But don’t lose hope. I would say don’t lose hope, be very supportive and patient and make them feel supported because they’re already dealing with a problem that’s so big and overwhelming and they don’t know anything about it. When your family comes to you, you want them to feel as safe as possible.
