Over 1,000 sexual assaults in mixed sex mental health wards

Men really don't get it. 'Poor mentally ill man can't help it.'
WHAT ABOUT POOR MENTALLY ILL WOMAN?
Apologies for shouting, but it seems necessary. Oh, and:
'Not all mentally ill men.'
FFS. Mentally ill women in hospital shouldn't have to endure ANY mentally ill men.
TVM.

Why the hell are any mental health wards mixed sex in the first place? As people are forcibly contained there this must be considered cruel and unusual punishment.

How the actual fuck are women supposed to get better when they're forced to live with strange men and risk assault and rape? It's inhumane. Jesus H Christ!

This should surprise nobody. I remember arguing about this with someone involved in mental health provision a while back and her argument was that mixed wards are better for the recovery of male patients. I pointed out that they're clearly not better for the female patients and she just kept refocusing on the male patients and how they need women around to recover properly and learn to reintegrate into society and blah blah. Just no concern for the impact the policy has on female patients whatsoever.

That is just beyond anything normal or sensible.

Those poor women, this is so sad and terrifying.

Mixed sex mental health wards are common in the US and Canada and so is sexual assault. You can request single-sex, but they might not have a space for you and you might have to wait. I've heard from so many women who were assaulted in psych wards. Nobody cares. It doesn't even make the news.

Mental health wards have to be among the worst places to try this as well. Full of people with all kinds of problems that can affect their ability to behave within normal social bounds, or that mean they aren't totally in touch with reality. Not to mention powerful drugs that may change behaviour in unexpected ways and which may not be well controlled.

Years ago my dad had to spend a few months in a mental health ward when he was having an extended manic episode. He didn't try and assault anyone but he was doing all kinds of crazy things that were socially inappropriate, destructive, and not normal for him. He'd have been horrified later if he had found out that he'd really hurt someone in some way when he was in care.

The comments below the article are interesting in that there is almost total unanimity about how awful this is. And also countless commentators making the link with mixed sex toilets and changing rooms. A real sense that 'middle England' is finally becoming aware of the issues and are very unhappy with what is happening.

This is just awful. Also bumping for more views.

You'll notice in the last link that the response was not to offer single sex wards, but to suggest whats needed is segregated wards for young people instead.

Ex member of staff revealed that 100 women fall pregnant every year while on a mixed sex mental health ward.
the threats to women from mixed sex wards aren't a new problem, its been reported in the press about once every 10 years.

Mixed-sex mental health warning 1998
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/223343.stm

Mixed-sex mental health warning 2008
Detaining women and youngsters on mixed-sex adult wards is seen as likely to heighten their risk of sexual abuse.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7216203.stm

Mixed-sex mental health warning 2018
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/11/nhs-launches-sexual-abuse-probe-amid-fears-dangers-mixed-sex/

'My teenage daughter is terrified in an adult psychiatric unit' 2019
''A mother has said her teenage daughter is "terrified" of the adult men in the secure psychiatric care unit where she is being treated.
Gillian told the BBC her 17-year-old daughter felt sexually vulnerable and unsafe in a mixed unit with eight adult men.''
www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-49447655

Bumping because this is a scandal and needs more attention. Mixed sex is dangerous for women. How many times do we have to say it?

Goddamn.

It sort of doesn’t matter as it is clear that single sex wards are safer and therefore wards should be single sex.

Are they recording birth sex, why not record which birth sex is assaulting the other birth sex?