Lol Butterfield

I have over 30 years working within mental health services as a qualified mental health nurse. Six years ago I experienced depression resulting in taking time off work.  I joined the Shift Speakers Bureau when it formed in 2005 and have since used my extensive mental health knowledge, and personal experience of depression, to try to change misperceptions and damaging stereotypes through the media.

Alongside my role at the Bureau role I have strived to raise awareness of mental health issues and challenge stigma and discrimination in employment, schools and colleges. This has been mostly through my local mental health Trusts anti stigma programme, “Passionate People” campaign. In 2006 in partnership with a colleague I devised a education tool based on the children’s book ‘The Huge Bag of Worries’ by Virginia Ironside to promote better understanding of mental health.  We successfully delivered the programme to 30 primary schools in north east.

Over the past four years I have been working hard to forge useful links with the local media here in Teesside. I have manage to negotiate the inclusion of a bi-monthly column within the health section of a local newspaper. The section aims to promote a better understanding and acceptance of mental health issues locally. 

I completed my autobiography ‘Sticks and Stones’ last year which included the full collection of my newspaper articles. Writing my book was a cathartic experience for me. I also viewed this as another way to positively promote mental health.

Tackling stigma and discrimination of mental illness is my passion. As such I have tried to make a real difference in many areas  of society by using creative approaches and never losing faith in what I was trying to achieve. My belief is that individually and collectively we can all make a real difference. I have seen at first hand the damage ignorance and discrimination does to the lives of service users and their families. I took part in the Sheffield Padded Cell Tram stunt at the launch of Time To Change and have supported the campaign ever since.  I am now very pleased and honoured to be in a position to support the campaign through LEAP.