A Lancashire-based psychology teacher, who also has bipolar disorder, is campaigning to raise awareness of the negative attitudes to mental health issues after being told she was a danger to children.

Nik Allen, who has dealt with being bipolar for a number of years, despite only being diagnosed with the condition when in her 30s, said: “Nobody was willing to deal with the fact that I had a mental illness”.

Ms Allen, who controls her disorder with medication, was told by a colleague that she was a danger to children and should leave the teaching profession.

However, Ms Allen took the step to tell her class at Rossall School in Fleetwood that she had the condition.

The positive reception she received from the class immediately confirmed that she had done the right thing.

Ms Allen says that it has also helped her to reach out to pupils who might also have problems but were too ashamed to talk about them with anyone.

YoungMinds – a charity which deals with mental health issues among young people – said that classes on mental health should be made compulsory, following Ms Allen’s example.

Lucie Russell, director of campaigns, said: “Services need to be available in schools, in local communities, there needs to be resources online, young people need to be able to find support 24 hours a day.”