Sir – Oxford is filled with young people, most of whom are in good health but there are at any given time a significant number who are approaching the most terrifying and dangerous time of their lives; I am, therefore, writing to ask your readers, particularly parents and teachers, to learn as much as they can about schizophrenia and other forms of mental illness, so that they may be alert to the signs of its onset and better able to help those who are becoming ill. Widespread fear and ignorance surrounding schizophrenia almost invariably means that those in the early stages fail to be treated with the care and respect they deserve and rarely receive the timely medical support that would be sought by those around them if they had a serious physical illness. Schizophrenia affects about one of us in every hundred, regardless of race, nationality, gender, social class or educational achievement and typically a first episode occurs between the ages of 15-30.

Onset can be gradual over a number of years or quite sudden, and symptoms can include delusional thinking, hallucinations, social withdrawal and difficulties with speech, concentration, memory or motivation.

It is rare enough to come as a great shock to those afflicted and their families, but common enough that no teaching institution should allow staff to remain in ignorance while a student descends into a state of life-threatening mental chaos.

If you are puzzled by odd or risky behaviour, disorganised essays from a formerly conscientious student, distracted or frozen facial expressions and bodily movements, or you just sense that someone is lost in an entirely other world, do not assume that this person is being deliberately difficult and, please, do not turn and look the other way. Teachers are well placed to recognise the signs of mental distress, to offer support and to contact early intervention services.

More information is available from the websites of Rethink Mental Illness (responsible for The Schizophrenia Commission Report), Mind and the NHS. Neuroscientist, Neel Burton, has written a readable and thought-provoking guide to mental illness called The Meaning of Madness, which I recommend to every parent and teacher in the county.

Susan Heeks, Michael Wyatt, Frances Ashworth, Annabel Rees and others at Oxfordshire Carers Reference Group