Taye Diggs is helping shine light on an often misunderstood mental disorder.
The All American star, 53, who was formerly married to Broadway’s Idina Menzel, 52, has opened up about an issue that affected his own family: schizophrenia.
The actor’s sister, Christian, 48, was diagnosed with the condition when she was in her late 20s.
‘As you can imagine, we were all very surprised and scared and curious,’ the Critics Choice Award winner told People.
Brother and sister tell their story in a video for their new Live Your Possczible campaign, in conjunction with drug maker Bristol Myers Squib.
The campaign is designed to shine light on what people ‘living with schizophrenia can achieve, supporting them as they plan for the future and providing them with resources to take action.’
Taye Diggs, 53, is helping shine light on an often misunderstood mental disorder. The actor’s sister, Christian, 48, was diagnosed with the condition when she was in her late 20s
In the video, Christian, who enjoys a job in construction, said when she was first diagnosed it was ‘shocking and a bit scary,’ but having that information made her feel ‘calmer,’ explaining, ‘I actually had hope because I could put a name on everything that was happening.’
Diggs told the outlet that as Christian’s brother, he and his family ‘were all very surprised and scared and curious.’
‘I didn’t know anything about it,’ he admitted. Like most people, the only reference I had was what was portrayed on television and a whole bunch of stereotypes.’
Schizophrenia is a condition that impacts 2.4 million adults in the United States and an estimated 24 million globally. According to the Cleveland Clinic, ‘Schizophrenia involves a disconnection from reality, including hallucinations and delusions.’
‘My sister’s very, very smart, and she loves to use her brain. And when she was diagnosed, she told me it was like the part of her brain that she enjoyed the most wasn’t her own anymore,’ The Chicago star revealed. ‘And that’s what was very frustrating for her.’
‘I couldn’t rely on my intellect, I couldn’t rely on my mind, or my thought processes at all any more’ Christian explained in the video.
‘That was a really difficult thing to grasp and accept. I never thought I would be happy again,’ she said, ‘but every day I wake up and I can’t believe I’m here. It’s amazing. I’m someone who’s living my possible.’
Christian got to where she is now after finding the right medical care.
Christian has been able to control her condition with medication and therapy and now enjoys a career in construction
The Diggs’ tell their story in a video for their new Live Your Possczible campaign, which is designed to shine light on what people ‘living with schizophrenia can achieve, supporting them as they plan for the future and providing them with resources to take action’
‘My sister’s very, very smart, and she loves to use her brain. And when she was diagnosed, she told me it was like the part of her brain that she enjoyed the most wasn’t her own anymore,’ The Chicago star told People. ‘And that’s what was very frustrating for her’
‘Once she started getting on the right medication and had a certain amount of therapy, then it started to click for her. It was night and day,’ Diggs said.
As a family he said, ‘We were just there to say, “Keep going. Don’t lose hope. Everything’s going to be fine.” And then she came out of the clouds and we were all very thankful and grateful. And we felt lucky.’
‘Christian helped me uncover the fact that there’s hope. It’s not like it’s the end of the world,’ he asserted. ‘I could see her being able to make decisions and live out her ambitions and do all this stuff that I thought was not going to be within her grasp.’
For others who may be dealing with the diagnosis of a friend or loved one, the The Best Man franchise star said, ‘It’s really easy to just make a judgment.’
I never thought I would be happy again,’ Christian said of the time she first began dealing with schizophrenia, ‘but every day I wake up and I can’t believe I’m here. It’s amazing. I’m someone who’s living my possible’
After educating himself about the mental condition Diggs explained, ‘People just need support. They need a team around them that knows what they’re doing, and they can literally achieve whatever they want. And I didn’t realize this at the time’
‘It’s so easy to just kind of put people in a certain box,’ he contended, adding, ‘I feel silly because I thought it was so black and white. But now I know better. I’m almost embarrassed to admit what I thought of her when we first heard this news, but she’s such an inspiration’ Diggs said.
‘People just need support. They need a team around them that knows what they’re doing, and they can literally achieve whatever they want. And I didn’t realize this at the time.’
For Christian, knowing she had that a team behind her meant all the difference.
‘What I realized over time was that family primarily played an integral role in me being able to accomplish this, having them there with me every step of the way, through every phase, no matter what, they were my strongest support.’
