Taye Diggs Reveals Sister’s Schizophrenia Diagnosis

Actor Taye Diggs has partnered with the schizophrenia community to educate others on the condition and empower patients with access to the care and information they need to thrive. Diggs is working with Live Your PosSCZible, a national campaign to “increase the understanding of schizophrenia, reduce stigma, and promote empathy and support,” ahead of World Schizophrenia Awareness Day on May 24.

According to the Mayo Clinic, schizophrenia is a “serious mental health condition that affects how people think, feel and behave.” People living with schizophrenia may experience a mix of hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking and behavior.

For Diggs, the partnership is personal. His younger sister, Christian Diggs, now 48, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her twenties, something he says was extremely difficult for his family to process without access to reliable information.

“When my sister was diagnosed with schizophrenia, my family was incredibly worried. At first, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. So much of the information out there doesn’t accurately show what life with schizophrenia can be,” Diggs said in a statement about the campaign. “But today, with support from medical professionals, my sister is managing her mental illness and is working and living independently, enjoys yoga and dance, and is doing really well.”

Taye and Christian Diggs will share their story on the campaign’s website, LiveYourPosSCZible.com. Visitors will also have access to educational information, community care resources and “Get Ready with Me” videos showing how people with schizophrenia manage their daily routines.

Diggs told PEOPLE that the big brother in him wanted to swoop in and help his sister manage her diagnosis, only to be left feeling frustrated that there was nothing he could do. But since then, he’s learned that the best thing he can do is be by her side.

“Once I put my ego aside and just kind of listened to the therapist, that was the role that meant the most to her. The most I could do, and the best I could do was be as supportive and patient as possible,” he said.