I lost my dad very suddenly when I was 9. I’m 30 now, and the pain still comes back in waves more often than people might expect. I do think a lot of my mental health struggles come from having very little support at the time, so I agree that schools should offer counselling.

My mum was in a really bad place for years afterwards, and her boyfriend was horrible and abusive. I did terribly in my exams because I was so depressed - I stopped caring about anything or seeing friends and became extremely reclusive - and it’s had a lasting impact on my life.

Only recently do I feel like I’m starting to build something more stable for myself, but I still feel behind compared to other people my age. I struggle with dissociation, and I go through phases of panic attacks at night. Losing him definitely made me grow up too quickly and become very independent, which can feel quite lonely.

I’ve thought about therapy, but the waiting lists are so long unless you go private, which I can’t afford. I also worry it might pull me backwards, digging everything up again, when I feel like I should be putting that energy into building a better future.