For Mädchen Amick and her family, navigating her son Sly’s bipolar I disorder is a “continuing journey.”
The actress, aged 54, shares her insights on her personal journey, emphasizing how experiences have shaped her perspective over time. In an exclusive interview with Us Weekly, she discusses how facing challenges becomes more manageable when viewed in the context of a longer timeframe. Reflecting on a 13-year period, she notes how ups and downs form part of a bigger picture, with progress evident in the gradual improvement over time.
Amick delves into her son’s bipolar I diagnosis in 2023, recalling how Sly, now 32, was identified while attending college in 2012. Despite occasional setbacks, she highlights the positive progress, mentioning a recent incident where a medication change caused some disruption. The quick response and adjustment of medication underscore the importance of family unity, preparedness, and effective communication during such testing times.
Aside from maintaining his sobriety, Sly has embarked on a career path as a “certified peer specialist” in California. Serving as a supportive figure for individuals facing similar challenges, he finds fulfillment in assisting young people navigating issues he encountered, albeit at a younger age. Amick expresses pride in Sly’s impactful role, noting how this endeavor resonates with him on a personal level, evoking memories of his own youth and creating a profound connection.
Prior to his recent bout, Sly went through a “destabilization” experience back in 2021. When it comes to preventing him from destabilizing again, Amick tells Us that she, her husband, David Alexis, and daughter, Mina, 31, are always lending Sly a helping hand.
“He really trusts us as a family, so if we see signs that look like, ‘Oh, how [are] you feeling? We’re seeing some concerning signs,’ that he trusts us and listens instead of getting defensive and going, ‘No, no, no, I’m fine,’ because nobody wants to admit they’re sick, right?” she explains. “He really trusts us as a family to point it out sooner than later before he even can notice it himself. And also then beyond that, creating that recovery team for, so he’s really committed to that recovery.”
Amick also notes that her son “goes to AA meetings really consistently” and is “really committed to communicating with his psychiatric team as well as continuing to search for that good therapist that also helps him put tools in place so he can start checking in with mood regulation.”
After years of ups and downs navigating the mental health care system, Amick and her family formed the foundation Don’t MiND Me, which helps people going through similar experiences and provides scholarships to those who cannot afford the care they need.
“We just celebrated three years in May [2024] with the Don’t MiND Me foundation,” she tells Us. “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’ve really gotten to know and really believe in, and they’ve got a wealth of knowledge and many, 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 honor Ashley Kolaya, the director of the Mental Health Storytelling Coalition, and Amick’s former Riverdale costar Molly Ringwald.
“[Molly has] been really open about her deep anxieties over these teenage years and becoming famous so quickly and how at times it was crippling and what she would do to find her way through,” Amick shares. “So, when this gala came up this year and thinking about people making a difference, especially between advocacy and people sharing their story, she came to mind. And I thought it would be really wonderful because she’s been so open to that over all these years. So, we were out in New York and visiting, I popped the question, and she said yes!”
With reporting by Lanae Brody
