Jonny Benjamin

Background

Jonathan began having mental health problems at the age of 10 when he started experiencing auditory hallucination. He later developed depression at 16 and was eventually diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, a combination of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, in his early 20s. Jonny had also been experiencing the delusion that he was on his own version of the film, The Truman Show, and was hospitalised as a result of his condition in 2008. He ran away from the hospital intending to take his life by jumping off a bridge, when he met with the good Samaritan that was the focus of the 2014 campaign, Find Mike.

Activism

Three years ago Jonny started vlogging about his experiences of mental health issues on YouTube in order "to reach out to others with mental health difficulties." Thousands of people from around the world have watched his vlogs and he was awarded the first annual Janey Antoniou award by the mental health charity, Rethink Mental Illness, for his mental health campaigning in 2013. Of the motivation behind his work, Jonny says: "I know that a lot of people are reluctant to get help, and a lot of that is because of stigma. But the only way we’ll get rid of stigma is if we are more open and talk about mental illness. There is no shame or embarrassment in it. These are human experiences."

Jonny has also presented a BBC Three documentary about mental illness.

Find 'Mike' campaign and media

On 14 January 2014 Jonny launched a social media campaign called Find 'Mike' with the charity Rethink Mental Illness to try to locate the stranger that talked him out of jumping off a bridge into the River Thames in London after he was diagnosed with schizo-affective disorder Jonny launched the campaign to raise awareness of mental health and suicide. He later said of it: "I wanted to let people know that it’s ok to have suicidal thoughts and feelings. I also hoped to show people that through talking about it, and by having someone else listen, it is possible to overcome the darkness that overwhelms a person when they feel helpless. This is something that I learned from my exchange with Neil on the bridge six years ago, and a message that I’ve been trying to pass on to others." The campaign was supported by various high-profile people including Stephen Fry, Boy George, and British Prime Minister David Cameron. Millions of people shared the story online and the hashtag "FindMike" trended in the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and Canada. Eventually, the stranger's girlfriend saw the plea on Facebook and he came forward. Jonny was reunited with this stranger, Neil Laybourn, two weeks after launching the campaign to find him. Neil said of the incident on the bridge that "maybe it was fate, it was easy to make a connection. There are people who would walk past and there are those who would have taken action. I am proud that I was in the crowd that took action."

A documentary film about the campaign produced by Postcard Productions was released in May 2014.

Mental Health Education

In 2016 Jonny launched ThinkWell, an initiative to bring mental health education into schools. ThinkWell is designed to educate young people about mental health and break down the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide through school workshops. Each session is delivered by a trained workshop leader and a qualified therapist.

As well as working in schools, he also gives talks in places such as prisons and hospitals to try and inspire others who may be struggling

Mental Health Abroad

Jonny has also carried out mental health work in India to change attitudes and reduce stigma. He filmed his journey to India for a short documentary on his YouTube channel.

Honours

Writing

In 2012 a book of Jonny's poems, Pill After Pill: Poems From A Schizophrenic Mind, was published. The poetry was written mostly during Jonny's stay in hospital in 2008.

Jonny is currently writing two books on the subject of mental illness and suicide due to be published by Pan Macmillan imprint Bluebird.