Actor Michele Hicks on her brother's schizophrenia journey скачать в хорошем качестве

Actor Michele Hicks on her brother's schizophrenia journey

In this episode of SMI Spotlight, host Dr. Xavier Amador talks with actor and advocate Michele Hicks about her brother’s journey with schizophrenia and what it means to be a family caregiver. Michele shares her deeply personal story — from recognizing her brother’s first symptoms and navigating interactions with police and providers, to understanding anosognosia (lack of insight), the limits of HIPAA, and the emotional toll of caregiver burnout and guilt. She also discusses how her experience inspired her advocacy work with Treatment Advocacy Center, the importance of including families in treatment, and how the media industry can help portray severe mental illness with honesty and compassion. Hosted by Dr. Xavier Amador, SMI Spotlight explores real stories and expert perspectives on severe mental illness (SMI) — bringing awareness to conditions with psychosis like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder while highlighting the people and policies shaping better care. Video Sections: 00:00 Intro 01:31 Michele Hicks 01:47 Intro to Michele's advocacy work with TAC 02:20 How is Michele's brother now 02:56 Interactions with police 03:42 The start of Michael's symptoms 04:39 Intellectual disability with schizophrenia and anosognosia 05:56 Being a parentified child caregiving for siblings with challenges 08:04 Interactions with medical providers 09:57 HIPAA 10:28 Michele's advocacy work 10:58 Navigating HIPAA as a family member 12:57 Navigating burnout as a family caregiver 14:19 Navigating feelings of guilt 15:59 Michele's relationship with her brother 17:39 Media industry and depictions of SMI 18:58 Mental Health vs Mental Illness 19:32 How Michele got involved with TAC 22:03 Importance of self care 22:46 Involving families in treatment as much as possible 24:05 Ways of processing - not calling 26:40 The weight of responsibility as a caregiver 28:14 The role of creatives spreading stories