"It's all in your head" "It could be worse" "Just think of something else" "Man up". 1 in 4 people in the British population will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year. The number of mental health problems in young people is constantly growing yet mental illnesses are still valued as less important and less serious than physical illnesses.

Today is Mental Health Awareness Day 2014, and still mental health issues are given the back seat. We are scared, as a community to help those with mental illnesses in case we say or do the wrong thing, and as individuals to share out problems with others, in fear of being judged. Yet we, ourselves, judge others. A quarter of the population will develop a mental health issue, yet we are still so unaware, of how to act or what to say. Education is the key to this, education is the key to acceptance, so lets educate and be educated. I've learnt more about how to treat people on social media than my school has ever tried to teach me. They teach us, briefly, may I add, about body confidence, but this is done at age 16/17 and by this age the eating disorders, the depression, the self harm has often already started to take control. Teenagers no longer benefit from teachers telling them that everything is beautiful, they cringe and think "she has to say that, she's a teacher".

The one good thing my school has taught me is that mental illnesses affect both boys and girls equally, but I know very few schools which acknowledge this. It's not weak to show you're human, it doesn't make you any less of a person, it only shows that you are brave, and alive inside. It's the bloody 21st century, I think it is time to stop ramming religion down teenagers throats and allow them to make their own opinions, educated opinions, about religion, regardless of which one they choose related to them and helps them most, about gender, that's an issue for another time though, about sexuality, without their judgement being clouded with the social 'norms', and about mental well-being and the treatment of those with mental problems. It's our job to stop being opinionated and be educated and to stop arguing about religion, sexuality, gender inequality and educate ourselves about the facts and figures, also a little touch of empathy wouldn't go a miss.

So what am I trying to say? Well, the main message is that the education of teenagers with regards to the spiritual (including the above mentioned issues, sexuality, gender etc) side of our lives needs to be reviewed, and changed in such a way that we give the future generations all the possible knowledge to make their own informed opinions on all things social. Also I'm trying to encourage others to put themselves in other people's shoes, walk a mile, then decide how to treat them. The outcome will hopefully be kind and one which we ourselves would feel happy receiving.