To not want to be called a cunt when I'm chatting to my dog?

[Limth]

There is a woman living on the street parallel to me who has psychosis. We're in Victorian terraces so out back gates back on to each other.

She hears voices, she sees things and she has paranoia. Last summer she spent a lot of time in her back yard shouting awful things at the top of he voice. Police, social services, family, mental health team all got involved. They got her medication under control and things calmed down a bit.

Although she is often still in her yard swearing and making threats, the agencies seem to think it's sorted. As good as its going to get basically.

But 9/10 times that I take my dog out, she's outside up to her shenanigans. If you make a noise or say anything, she responds to that. Her social worker told another neighbour to essentially keep noise to a minimum in the back lane so not to start her off 🙄

The trouble is that my dog's almost blind and relies on us talking to know where we are, what she's meant to do and that everything is okay. So I can't keep quiet (aside from the question of why should I). Don't get me wrong, I'm not yelling at the dog, just talking in a normal voice. But the woman reacts. I've just been called a smelly cunt, a whorebag, and told that I should die in my sleep tonight. Nice.

None of the relevant agencies seem bothered. I feel sorry for the woman because she clearly needs help. There are a few houses along the road with young kids and I know one of the mums doesn't let her kids play in their back yard because of the abuse from the woman over the way.

Not sure what I'm expecting by posting here really. Just have no idea what to do.

Exactly.

Report to police. Swearing at someone is an offence. You should not have to put up with this - you are being abused in your own garden and it sounds like it's most of the time. Whatever issues this lady has are not your problem. What if her problems were causing her to run anok with a knife - they would have to do something then.

It's not possible to have neighbours shipped off to residential care just because they're a nuisance.

Nobody ever died of being sworn at.

Could you move?

You were being utterly disgusting.

'Nobody ever died of being sworn at'

No, but it can be intimidating and incredibly unpleasant, affecting the mental wellbeing of those subjected to it. No one should have to put up with it.

The more this is flagged as a problem the more the agencies involved will have to speak to those directly responsible for her care and address it.

Go the other way round so you can avoid her.

Yep, I have reported all that user’s comments to @MNHQ but unfortunately only one of them has been deleted. I’m shocked that the comment suggesting the OP plays a fucking air raid siren to try and distress the woman enough to go indoors has been allowed to stand.

I'm really surprised by the number of responses telling you to suck it up. No way would I be doing this. Yes, this is worse for the woman and I have great sympathy for her but you are entitled to enjoy your home in peace.

I would report to the police and also log a noise complaint with the council. Every single time. If you've got a local police rep then speak to them. I would also escalate within the community mental health/ social care team on the basis you are concerned she is not being appropriately cared for - the response from the social worker is wholly inadequate. I'd send a written complaint about the statement that neighbours should keep it down. Try and find out who owns the property too (check the Land Registry) and see how to address with landlord if she is a tenant - e.g. if she rents from a housing association they normally have teams to deal with this sort of issue.

Everyone on this thread is assuming that she poses no threat, and I'm not sure that is true. It's great that we are now more understanding of mental health conditions and are less inclined to stigmatise. However, actually people who are in a state of psychosis can pose a risk to themselves and others. My opinion is informed by one of my friends who was assaulted by her neighbour in a psychotic episode. She had been dealing with his antisocial behaviour for years beforehand - she had let herself be reassured by 'the experts' and that was a mistake.

Don't let them fob you off - it isn't fair to you or neighbours to have to live this way and it's irrelevant that it's not her fault.

But if the police attend they do have a legal duty uphold the law. If the ladies behaviour is causing distress, harrasment or alarm, which it sounds like it is. Then she has commited a public order offence. Even though she may be doing it involuntarily, it doesn't mean she cannot or should not be charged. At that point it should be assessed her ability to remain wherever she is.

The cost in all the resources attending mental health issues at present, far outweighs the positives of care in the community.

I don't entirely disagree with what DalRiata said. I recently had troubles with a neighbour who has untreated addiction issues and undiagnosed mental health problems. Every other day he'd shout threats and insults across my yard. No intervention by authorities, and one day, at the end of my tether, I sprayed him with the hose, which put a stop to it. We're both happier not living with the added tension, so surely that's a win-win?

We're all just pack mammals at the end of the day, so it makes sense that we respond to similar cues as dogs. I don't think it's dehumanising to say that.

Do what you need to do with your dog, walk outside and talk as normal. You have that right. If you feel in danger (genuinely - for example if she's shouting specifically at you rather than just swearing on the other side of a fence and can't see you) call the police and make a report. Don't get involved in any of the creepy attempts to treat people like animals by playing noises or using the hose - for one thing, your neighbour isn't connected to reality so she's not going to associate anything nasty you do with a 'cue', she'll just suffer more and you'll lose any standing you have to make an official complaint should you need to.

Headphones in, and try to be as quiet and quick as possible when passing her

You're expecting logic from someone who is sadly incapable of such thing. You know you're not unreasonable. You know she isn't really, she's unwell. Very unwell by the sounds of it.

Having said that, I would say that it's reached a stage whereby yours and your neighbours' rights to peaceful enjoyment of your homes is being infringed upon now. I'm incredibly understanding of mental health and care in the community (instead of asylums like in the old days). However once it affects peaceful enjoyment and impacts the neighbours, that is the line crossed. Whether anything can/will be done to change matters is another story....

Best of luck

Ps, when making any (probably futile) phone calls, make sure to always say "this is impacting my and my neighbours' PEACEFUL ENJOYMENT of our homes" as those are the exact words within law.

She has expressed empathy but I understand where the OP is coming from, it’s not nice to hear constant insults illness or not.

Some mental illness is treatment resistant. She may be as treated as she can be

The police will not see this as their business at all especially since Right Care Right Person came in. They will not attend unless there is a risk to life or limb. A bit of sweating ain't going to cut it. Even if she has committed an offence she will not be fit to interview and it will not be deemed in the public interest to proceed.

People keep talking about residential care for someone with a psychotic mental illness as though that is a thing but it really isn't. Residential care for someone who doesn't have dementia or a learning disability barely exists.

People have a right to live in their own homes on the whole. It is very hard to over ride that. If she were found to lack capacity then it would still have to be in her own best interests to be moved. The best interests other people including neighbours are not a factor under the mental capacity act.

In order for her to be removed to hospital under MHA she would need to be a danger to herself or others which she does not appear to be. In any case she would not stay in hospital for long or be rehoused from there. She'd soon be back.

The only recourse I can think of is to complain to the housing provider and see if they will evict her. No good if it's her own home though.

Thank you every and thank you @DoNOTShakeItOff for the right wording to use. It just really got to me yesterday. I don't take it personally but its still horrible and kind of exhausting to hear constant swearing and abuse when you're just bimbling down the back lane nattering to the dog.

A PP asked if I can move. Basically, no, because of he bloody dog 😂It's certainly something that's on the agenda but not while we still have the dog. She wouldn't cope well with moving to a new place with her being blind so we're staying put for a while.

Some of the comments have been absolutely disgusting really difficult to read.Agree with you, there are some posters, just trying to get a reaction, suggesting it’s ok to physically attack someone, when the person hasn’t been physically abusive towards OP.The woman is shouting in her back yard, she’s not in a public place, the thread should have been worded differently.

The mental health act does not mean the woman can commit crime. It is a crime that she is carrying out by swearing and shouting when it is causing harrasment to her neighbours. The police do have a duty to arrest and charge her. The op should not be put off by social services or police saying they can't do anything. What they mean is they won't.

If at interview it is decided she does not have sufficient capacity to be interviewed. The police could not release her without going into somebodies care. Once she did have capacity they do have a duty to investigate and interview. I'd argue it is in the public interest for her to be charged, Decision on charging comes from the CPS or Fiscal in Scotland. The criteria with mental health issues is, is there a likelihood of a repeat of the offence & are the members of the public likely to be protected if no charge is given.

If she is charged several times with the same thing, the court will likely say she needs to be rehomed. Whether her house or not. You speak of Right Care Right Person. Well clearly whatever care is happening is not sufficient.

The lack of residential places really isn't the op's problem. As I have said before, Care in the community only works in certain cases. A lot of mental health issues would be better treated in residentiall type settings.

This.

Being swore and shouted at would be triggering my own MH issues.

I have a friend who took in her DS's homeless ex. It was fine for ages, until the person she took in ended up in a state of drug induced psychosis. They have been insisting the house my friend so kindly gave her a room in is theirs... says my friend touches and abuses them in the night. Shouts and screams constantly. Throws my friend's belongings down the garden, pisses on her bed, pours bleach on her clothing. Neglected their own pet to the point the RSPCA were involved. My friend has lived where she has for 30+ years. Now, all of her neighbours have fallen out with her because she is keeping this obviously ill person housed there. She often stays at a friend's house to escape it all. She has tried to get help so many times.. and so many agencies and people have reported it as a safeguarding issues.... but she just gets told that the person has to see their own GP... which they wont.
She also says that the person is ill so can't help it, so it would be cruel to chuck them out. I think by doing that, she is preventing this person from getting proper help.
It is all verbal, with a bit of destroying things... for now. We all think that one day our friend will be in the paper after being attacked.

Tell your friend to contact the Chief Constable if the police will not attend. What is happening is a crime. It is all well people saying they don't understand what they are doing. If a person has lost capacity to that extent they need hospitalised.

So many of us have said to do that. She wont do it.. says the person is ill, so it is not a crime and not their fault.
It is very frustrating!