Hollyoaks is lining up a harrowing mental illness storyline for teenage character Alfie Nightingale.
He’ll begin to hear voices in forthcoming episodes and will eventually be diagnosed with Schizoaffective Disorder.
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His family have worried about him since he tragically lost Jade Albright to cancer eighteen months ago as he’s stuggled to cope.
Alfie’s behaviour has caused concern too as he’s recently been focusing on building a robot to replace his dead girlfriend.
In scenes which will air early next month, Alfie will start hearing voices which tell him to do things and it becomes clear how serious things are.
Hollyoaks has been working with mental health charity Mind to make sure Alfie’s powerful story is told in a realistic way.
At first the teenager will be plagued with voices warning him not to trust his family.
This is just the beginning of Alfie’s journey which will eventually see him get the diagnosis of the condition which involves psychotic symptoms and mood swings similar to those of Bipolar disorder.
Richard Linnell who plays the troubled teen said: “I feel deeply honoured to have been trusted with such a strong and complex story for Alfie.
“We’ve been working closely with both Mind, and talking to people who have been kind enough to share their personal experiences of the condition.
“It’s going to be a tumultuous road ahead for Alfie and in telling a deeply truthful, powerful story we hope to continue to break down the stigmas surrounding mental health as a whole.”
A spokesperson for Mind added: “We are so pleased that Hollyoaks are tackling the mental health condition Schizoaffective Disorder and have enjoyed working with them over many months.
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“We know that when done well soap storylines can have a really positive affect on a huge audience, changing attitudes and encouraging people to seek help.”
Alfie’s journey kicks off on Wednesday April 4th on E4 at 7pm
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