Michigan Minds is a resource hub for teens and young adults experiencing changes in thinking, emotions, and sensory perceptions such as hearing or seeing things that others don’t (also known as psychosis). Although these experiences can feel unusual, they’re not uncommon. And with the right kind of support, it gets better.
Michigan’s specialty care teams, called NAVIGATE and ACT Early, are available to support Michiganders ages 15-30, regardless of insurance or ability to pay.
We believe that every person facing a mental health challenge can access inner strength and wellbeing, so we created Michigan Minds to offer space where we could do just that – connect, learn and draw inspiration from one another.
Visit michiganminds.org to learn more about mental health, take a self-check questionnaire, and get connected to a team near you.
Transcript:
Just reach out because there are services that are available to you.
JAMES:
I was struggling with my mental health, seeing things, hearing things.
CLIENT (MOTHER):
I started hearing voices.
SYDNEY:
I was really alone and confused. I didn’t know what was happening to me.
CLIENT (MOTHER):
I wasn’t really sleeping.
JAMES:
Just deteriorating.
GARRISON:
I felt like I knew more than I could handle and none of it was real.
JAMES:
One day I just got into a stare in the mirror and I didn’t see myself really. I was just like, “I’m tired of it, I’m going to end it.” And for some reason I just went out and told my aunt I need help and got put in Navigate and I was going to the meetings and talking to people. That was the best decision I’ve ever made.
KEELA:
And after you’ve been through psychosis, the earlier that you treat the better the outcome. With the
Navigate program, you have your own specialist that helps you learn what those triggers might be and how to cope with those because there’s always hope.
SYDNEY:
Through Navigate, I began to learn to ask for help, and it’s really beneficial to talk with someone who
has that lived experience, who actually has had psychosis.
GARRISON:
Those meetings, those check-ins, it kind of just reminds me that people are out there looking out for me.
JAMES:
They believed in me and that gave me faith to believe in myself.
CLIENT (MOTHER):
With my daughter, my relationship with her really deteriorated when I started showing symptoms.
Part of me thought that she’d be better off without me. And so going through the family work that we do at Navigate, it helps me realize I really need her in my life and she needs me in her life. I honestly don’t know where I would be without that.
KEELA:
This program helps the whole family unit to heal. And when the whole family is healthier, then the client is healthier. So long term, the prognosis is much better for everyone.
KATHY:
When we saw our daughter struggling, we were just so confused and scared because we were dealing with something we didn’t understand. And Navigate was the first place that included her on all the decision making about her treatment, peer support, educational and job support, psychiatric help with medications that got refined. And no matter what your insurance is, no matter what your finances are, they will work with you to make this happen. I never thought she’d be where she is today compared to where she was. She is motivated, enjoying her music, enjoying life. It’s miraculous and that’s all because of Navigate.
GARRISON:
It feels like it’s worth trying the next day. And I’d rather be here if I were to go through a worst case
scenario.
JAMES:
I used to believe I was alone. I really felt like I had nothing to lose. And then me now, I have everything
to lose, I love life.
SYDNEY:
Just because you had psychosis doesn’t mean you can’t live a rich and meaningful life.
JAMES:
Never keep it to yourself because there are people that do care. You’re not alone
GARRISON:
Each second you wait, that’s a second you’re not getting help.
KEELA: