To want to report this woman

[Thornyrose7]

There is a woman in my local town who is obviously very mentally unwell. She is very identifiable by the amount of bags she carries around with her. I do remember this woman when DD was a baby ( so 6 years ago) when she shouted at me for entering a café in town and said' I hope you're not going to bloody well breastfeed, you disgusting woman' I did not respond then, as I could see she was mentally ill.
She is very aggressive to everybody she encounters. I have seen her on several occasions around town, over the course of a few years being very vile and obnoxious to other complete strangers. An example is to turn on someone in a queue and say' don't you DARE look at me' .
Today she tried to pick a fight with me as we waited for a bus, but I just ignored her. My DD (6) was really upset and scared.
The bus journey today was very uncomfortable as she insulted pretty much everyone on the bus. She also placed her some of her bags in the aisle, so people were nearly tripping as they got off and on, but nobody wanted to say anything. Poor DD was really freaked out.
I saw her turn on two young girls aged about 13/14 and also an elderly lady who was small and frail looking. This can't be right.

So there you go. She is obviously in a bad, bad place, but I don't think that it is right that she has been allowed to wander around in such a state causing distress to others for so long.
So aibu to want to report her to the Mental Health services? But how do I do it, as I am not family and I am not known to this woman. I have a rough idea of where she lives, but I don't know her name.
If anyone who works in mental health can tell me their opinion too, it would be much appreciated

I know a woman exactly like this, used to get on the met line at harrow and push everyone out of their seats in rush hour. Do you live near there?

Reason I think she's the same is the bags - she always comes on with bags full of newspapers.

I'm a CPN.

If ithappems again, call the police. If someone is behaving in such a manner in public that they may have mental health needs, the police can use S136 of the MHA and take her to a place of safety for an assessment. S137 lasts for up to 72 hours....if once assessed she doesn't meet the remit for further detention, at least it will bring her to the attention of services, though from your description it sounds as if she may already be known.

The difficulty often is those clients who behaviour is distressing for others, but never really bad enough for continued dention under the MHA but never really fully engage with services. Often it takes a crisis before they get proper help, but until then services are pretty much powerless to act.

That's S136, not S137.

What makes you think she is mentally unwell, and what kind of illness do you think she has?

I agree that something definitely needs to be done, as this is unacceptable behaviour. Even if she does have a mental health problem - and I'm not dismissing your opinion on it, OP - then both a) she deserves support and treatment for that and b) she still cannot go around behaving like this. I would phone the police, who will then refer to MH if needed.

Can you speak to anyone who also experienced problems with her just to 'build a case' as such? Also, it's worth asking if anyone has reported her previously and if so what was done.

Bottom line is, you shouldn't have to feel this way and your DC certainly shouldn't either - regardless of whether or not she has MH problems.

Well she spokes sound mentally unstable, to be fair, mentally sound people don't usually go round hurling abuse at strangers.

There is a lady like this in Liverpool. I always think of Simon armitages The Clown Punk when I see her.

Sounds like she needs help, but I agree with other posters that agencies are probably aware of her.

I wondered similar about an elderly lady visiting a large supermarket in the depths of winter wearing only slippers, a flimsy nightdress and dressing gown, walking around the shop but not shopping, just wandering. I asked one of the staff and they said she was already known to services and nothing more they could do. I saw her there regularly after that