Being a teenager is hard enough. Schools must equip their pupils to deal with mental health issues

with growing up, and how easy it is to slide into the danger zone. And young women often have other challenges layered on top: abortions, miscarriages, their monthly hormones and the pressure of a beauty-orientated society.

What emerged during my conversations with my health practitioner was how passionate we both felt that the effective tools helping me could so easily be taught in schools. Not just a bit of mindfulness chucked in but seriously and cohesively. School is about preparing us for adult life, educating and flexing that valuable muscle in our head. It should also be about better understanding how this complex organ, which powers up humanity, can also confuse, misdirect and even devastate.

Given that we are agreed there is a vast mental health crisis looming, why are we stubbornly refusing to take education and prevention seriously? It’s just as important as knowing where Addis Ababa is. Detailed, empathetically taught knowledge from an early age about the rollercoaster ride of our cognitive function would remove the stigma and could arm teenagers with tools before they feel overwhelmed, while providing essential insight into how humans operate.

Knowledge is power. We need properly to power up the next generation before it’s too late.

Imagine a young person dealing with job refusals, money worries and unstable relationships