Madchen Amick opens up about Son Sly's 'unstoppable' bipolar 1 journey

for Madchen Amick And her family, navigating her son Sly's bipolar disorder is a “constant journey.”

“The longer the journey, it's interesting (to see) your perspective and how it expands, so it becomes easier to deal with challenging moments because you can see it in a bigger picture,” the actress, 54, shares the latest issue exclusively. our weekly. “And so, while there may be a lack of challenge or some volatility, you look at it over the long term, which is now 13 years, and you can see that short graph getting better and better.”

Amick previously opened up about his son's bipolar I diagnosis in 2023, revealing Sly, now 32, was diagnosed in 2012 while in college. “Things are going great!” She adds “he had a bit of a challenge three months ago when a medication was changed. … He caught on to it really quickly, and they changed that medication right away and they changed it back to one that was working before, but this kind of Small moments can be so destabilizing for the whole family, so you all have to be prepared and aware and really communicate with each other.”

In addition to maintaining his sobriety, Sly now works as a “certified peer specialist” in California. “He's already becoming that big brother in that treatment center and really making a huge difference in the lives of the young people that are going through it but even at an earlier age,” Amick says. “He said it was meaningful to him because he felt like he was seeing himself as a little kid. It's a really beautiful thing.”

Before his most recent bout, Sly went through an “instability” experience in 2021. When it comes to keeping him from becoming unstable again, Amick said our that she, her husband, David AlexisAnd daughter, Mina, 31, always lends Sly a helping hand

“He really believes in us as a family, so if we see signs like, 'Oh, how are you feeling? We're seeing some related symptoms,' that he believes us and instead of being defensive, listens, 'No, no, no, I'm fine,' because nobody wants to admit they're sick, right? He explains “He really believes us that he can point it out sooner than he even notices it himself. And then beyond that, building that recovery team, so he's really committed to that recovery.”

Amick also noted that her son “goes to AA meetings really consistently” and is “really committed to communicating with his psychiatric team as well as continuing to find that good therapist that helps him put the tools in place so he can start checking in.” control.”

After years of ups and downs navigating the mental health care system, Amick and his family formed the foundation. don't mind mewhich helps people going through similar experiences and provides scholarships to those who cannot afford the care they need.

“We just celebrated three years with the Don't Mind Me Foundation in May (2024),” she says. our. “It's always been a goal to one day open a treatment center and apply all of our lived experience and a team around us that we really know and really trust, and they've got a lot of knowledge and a lot, many years of experience.”

The organization will hold its 2025 Don't Mind Me Gala on Saturday, March 8 at the Palm Springs Air Museum. This year's event will be honored by Dr Ashley KolayaDirector of the Mental Health Storytelling Coalition and former Amik Riverdale costar Molly Ringwald.

“(Molly) was really open about her deep anxiety as a teenager and becoming famous so quickly and how crippling it was at times and what she would do to find her way,” Amick shared. “So, when this festival came up this year and people were thinking about making a difference, especially in advocacy and people sharing their stories, that's what came to mind. And I thought it would be really wonderful because she's been so open to it for so many years. So, we were in New York and visiting, I popped the question, and she said yes!

With reporting by Lanae Brody