The Young and the Restless star Mark Grossman reflects on losing his brother at 17

In a candid and introspective interview, Mark Grossman, best known for his role, Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless, talked about a personal tragedy that changed his life forever.

In a recent episode of State of Mind, the YouTube series about mental illness hosted by General Hospital's Maurice Benard (Sonny), The Young and the Restless star discussed the death of his younger brother at age 17.

The interview was not just a surface-level conversation about mental illness awareness; it was a sincere and insightful conversation that uncovered parts of Grossman's life he rarely shares with fans.

While Grossman himself does not struggle with mental health challenges, he shared that his younger brother had paranoid schizophrenia before his early death on January 1, 2007. The Young and the Restless star was 19 years old when it happened.

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Mark Grossman, who plays Adam Newman on The Young and the Restless, reflects on his brother's death

Grossman wondered why his brother's disease symptoms started appearing a few years before he passed away.

“He probably wasn’t officially diagnosed until three months before he died, but the whole progression of him getting worse happened over two or three years,” Grossman explained.

He shared that at first, the changes were gradual and easy to mistake for typical teenage behavior. Both brothers attended public school, but suddenly, his younger brother wanted to be homeschooled.

“He started to withdraw, and things just got worse and worse,” Grossman recalled

When the condition progressed, the symptoms became more noticeable. His brother distanced himself from friends, wore only black, avoided public places, and showered in the dark.

“There were times he was walking around the house with a bat. He was extremely paranoid,” He revealed.

Their family wasn't aware of what was happening for quite some time. Grossman admitted that he hadn't fully understood it either when he was 19.

“I probably thought, ‘Oh, my brother’s going through a phase.’ I didn’t understand. But looking back, he was in a lot of pain,” he added.

Grossman spoke of how desperate his parents were, continuing to say that they did all they could to assist his brother during the rough patch. They attempted professional intervention and even got a diagnosis, but the thing had progressed too far to change direction.

“But there was a pretty long period of time where they just did what parents did… they loved their kid,” he continued.

His account elicits the challenge of witnessing mental health struggles in someone close to you, particularly when it develops slowly over time.

The interview was also largely a discussion of mental health, and Grossman took advantage of the opportunity to openly share his experience publicly to raise awareness.

Maurice Benard, a fellow who also spoke about the challenges he has with bipolar disorder, commended The Young and the Restless star for the openness they exchanged during the interview.

The interview response was achieved through appreciation and encouragement on social media regarding the issue raised.

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Fans can watch The Young and the Restless on CBS.