From the age of ten, Jonny was experiencing issues with his mental health. He went from having auditory hallucinations to developing depression by the age of 16. By the time he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder he was in his early 20’s and the combination of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia was deluding him to the point where he believed he was in his own version of the film The Truman Show. In early 2008, the extremity of his condition had him hospitalised and questioning the value of his own life. Feeling compelled to run away from the hospital, Jonny was later found by a stranger on Waterloo Bridge when he was talked down from committing suicide. The passer-by managed to convince him not to take his own life long enough for the emergency services to arrive and return him to the hospital for further treatment.
Since being signed off by his psychiatrist, Jonny has done everything within his power to help eradicate the stigma around mental health disorders. In 2011, he began documenting his experiences in a vlog form, which he uploaded to YouTube with the aims to “reach out to others with mental health difficulties.” He has also released a book of poems that he wrote during his time in the hospital, each eye-opening piece manages to encapture the inner workings of a schizophrenic mind. His YouTube channel was receiving an abundance of positive feedback and he had established himself as a popular and influential mental health campaigner. With his name having such a strong association with mental health, in 2013 Jonny presented a BBC Three documentary on the topic.
In 2014, six years after his suicide attempt, Jonny launched a social media campaign #FindMike. Jonny nicknamed the stranger who previously saved his life, who was later to be recognised as Neil Laybourn, in order to find him and thank him whilst simultaneously sharing his mental health journey with the entire world. The hashtag started trending in the UK, Canada, South Africa and Australia with over 300 million people getting involved. The likes of Boy George, Stephen Fry and David Cameron supported the campaign in which the pair were successfully united after just two weeks. The world became invested in the story so much so that it was made into a documentary that was released in 2014.
In a bid to bring mental health education into schools, Jonny founded ThinkWell, which brings interactive workshops and lessons to young people across the UK and also founded Beyond, a mental health charity on a mission to enhance the mental health support available for youth. With other achievements including running the London Marathon and publishing his memoir titled The Stranger on the Bridge, Jonny’s efforts have been recognised with an MBE. He has also been awarded the Janey Antoniou Award and has released The Book of Hope: 101 Voices on Overcoming Adversity in 2021.
With an inspiring and empowering story, Jonny has the ability to hold the attention of even the largest audiences and leave them feeling motivated to make a change and become proactive with mental health issues. An empowering and through-provoking speaker, he is the perfect choice for a range of events. Jonny is also available to hire in partnership with Neil Laybourn, delivering an insightful speech on mental health.
Watch our Senior Content Executive, Megan Lupton, conduct an exclusive interview with Neil Leybourn and Jonny Benjamin, over on the Champions Speakers YouTube channel.
