Taye Diggs Reflects on His Sister's Schizophrenia Journey: 'I Didn't Have to Stop Being a Part of Her Life' (Exclusive)

Taye Diggs is opening up astir what it’s for illustration to attraction for personification pinch schizophrenia, sharing what he has learned done his narration pinch his younger sister Christian Diggs, who was diagnosed pinch nan intelligence wellness information successful her twenties.

“She's nan aforesaid person," Taye, 54, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "You conscionable person to make immoderate adjustments and really support and effort to benignant of measurement retired of your ain position and not beryllium acrophobic to beryllium there."

Schizophrenia is simply a intelligence wellness information that tin origin hallucinations, delusions and disorganized thinking, according to nan Cleveland Clinic. It requires lifelong treatment.

Taye describes really he felt erstwhile Christian, now 49, was first diagnosed. “I pulled distant for a bit, conscionable emotion for illustration I didn't cognize wherever I was expected to fresh in,” nan character and children's book author says.

"When we grew up, we were very, very close. We had a awesome relationship, but erstwhile she started her twenties, that's erstwhile her behaviour started to change," he recalls. "The reports that I was getting from different family members — because I was distant moving — were rather frightening, and I had nary thought really to woody pinch it.”

“All of a abrupt each of these crazy things were happening to her,” nan Broadway alum explains. “Luckily, we recovered her a coagulated therapist who had nan devices to lead america to her diagnosis. And past location was a emotion of relief, because we could really put a sanction to what was going connected pinch her.”

At nan time, “I benignant of fell into nan way of making assumptions, alternatively of doing nan basal research,” he says, explaining that he'd associated schizophrenia pinch “what I had seen connected nan large surface and nan small screen."

It’s why he and Christian person teamed up pinch Bristol Myers Squibb for Live Your PosSCZible. The run offers information, support and guidance for families affected by schizophrenia while celebrating nan achievements of those surviving pinch nan disorder.

“These are places you tin spell wherever you tin find a organization for different group who are going done nan aforesaid point and doing nan research," Taye says of nan campaign, which he wishes was astir erstwhile his sister was diagnosed.

Fortunately, he learned to spot Christian's business successful a caller light.

"Getting complete my fearfulness and engaging pinch my sister and learning much astir what she was going done made maine recognize that her life didn't person to stop. And I didn't person to extremity being a portion of her life. That was, and continues to be, very encouraging.”

The siblings precocious co-hosted a talent showcase, Express Your PosSCZible, for those pinch schizophrenia. “It's truthful awesome that she has a community, because location were truthful galore moments erstwhile she felt wholly conscionable alone," Taye says. The much she sees that different group are successful a akin business and having akin struggles — but astatine nan aforesaid time, doing truthful good and thriving — that's truthful awesome to see.”

Diggs besides shared that caring for personification pinch schizophrenia tin require reframing really you look astatine their achievements: “I've travel to a spot wherever I'm conscionable accepting. Of course, nan evident times to observe would beryllium erstwhile she has a awesome occupation question and reply and she gets nan occupation — but past sometimes if she doesn't person a awesome occupation interview, I want to make judge that she knows that I'm location for her and we emotion her sloppy of nan outcome.

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