'EastEnders' have teamed up with mental health charity Mind for guidance on Isaac Baptiste's schizophrenia storyline.
Stevie Basaula
The teacher - who is portrayed by Stevie Basaula - was diagnosed with schizophrenia years ago before he turned up in Walford, but viewers recently saw he stopped taking his medication, and in the coming weeks the audience will see Isaac deal with stigmatising views from friends and family and how he manages his mental health on a daily basis as he begins to experience symptoms.
Stevie said: "This is close to my heart, to be telling Isaac’s story is a privilege.
"I hope it will start a dialogue for people to have conversations about mental health and that anyone living with the condition will feel seen.
"Working with Mind has been so useful, I spoke to a young man who bravely shared his story and it was inspiring to learn how he’s managing his condition.
"There’s so much we think we know about schizophrenia, but it’s often not the reality for people living with the condition.
"I hope that anyone engaging with Isaac’s story will gain a better understanding and can approach someone they know that may be struggling from a more positive place."
After sharing his diagnosis with his dad Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) recently, Isaac had to deal with his mum Sheree Trueman (Suzette Lewellyn) desperately trying to keep his schizophrenia a secret from others.
Mind have provided research, guidance and workshops to the writers, producers and actors to help give an insight into the emotional and social experience of living with schizophrenia, particularly looking at attitudes towards mental health in African Caribbean communities.
Mind Media Volunteer Antonio gave one-to-one feedback about his experiences of schizophrenia to Stevie, as well as learnings from its Young Black Men programme.
The programme aims to increase understanding of mental health problems and how they intersect with race by offering tailored services created specifically with young Black men.
Jon Sen, EastEnders' Executive Producer, said: "Working with Mind has been imperative in ensuring we tell Isaac’s story truthfully.
"There’s a multitude of layers to this storyline and Mind’s expertise has been crucial as we explore Isaac’s experience.
"As his condition escalates, we’ll see how this affects him and his loved ones in the coming months and I’m looking forward to audiences following Isaac’s undoubtedly difficult yet eye-opening journey ahead with fantastic actors in Stevie, Suzette, Rudolph and Danielle at the helm."
Alex Bushill, Head of Media and PR at Mind, added: "On screen fictional portrayals can drastically shift how we think, feel and behave in relation to our mental health. We know that mental health storylines in dramas, when they’re done well, help people to speak out, seek help and support each other.
"We know that schizophrenia is one of the most stigmatised and least understood mental health diagnosis and we applaud EastEnders’ efforts to accurately and sensitively portray it on the show."