IF ONLY

Someone Had Told Me

Why, when mental health is more openly discussed and better understood than ever, can we not get our heads around schizophrenia?

Campaigners like film maker Jonny Benjamin are helping. His ‘Find Mike’ campaign, to find the stranger who talked him down from a suicide attempt on Waterloo Bridge six years before, went viral. The man, whose real name is Neil Laybourn, was found and they now campaign for better mental health provision and suicide prevention support. Jonny was just ten when he first heard voices. At 20 he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder – a combination of schizophrenia and depression. He viewed it as a life sentence, left hospital one morning intending to take his life, and was seen on the bridge by Neil who was on his way to work.

Afterwards Jonny told the Guardian, “It was the first time I heard someone say ‘you can get through this’.”

Now with an MBE and the author of three books, Jonny says what matters is that youngsters like him have better understanding, both for themselves and to help their peers.

“When I was 12 or 13, if someone had said, ‘I’ve got schizophrenia. This is what it’s like. Don’t be afraid to talk. No one is judging you,’ I can only imagine the difference it would have made to me.”

Viewers of BBC’s EastEnders had an insight into schizophrenia as far back as the late 90s through popular character Joe Wicks. His character was a likeable young man struggling with medication and stigma. The storyline humanised the condition and focused on the emotional impact. It drew overwhelming viewer support and helped change common perceptions at the time.

The Facts

• Schizophrenia does not cause someone to be violent

• People with the condition do not have a split personality

• It can be well managed with support and treatment

• Most people make a recovery, although symptoms may occasionally return.

Source: Rethink Mental Illness. rethink.org NHS UK: nhs.uk