My neighbour is a single woman in her thirties, who has lost both her parents in the last year (one to suicide). She is now living in their home. I knew her parents quite well but only know her to say hello to in the street. But I gather from people at one of the funerals that she has had MH issues in the past.
Clearly, she has had a very tough year, and I think must be very lonely, and I also worry she is a drinking a lot : we have been seeing her occasionally in the street, dressed only in nightwear on her way back from the shops with a bag of bottles. I have been worried about her for a while but beyond stopping and chatting briefly in the street havent actually done anything to help her - and have been feeling guilty about this but not quite sure that I would know what to do.
Now her behaviour has got really bizarre - I don't want to say too much as don't want to make her identifiable - but she seems to be reliving her late parent's illness and telling us she has all their symptons (I doubt this is true); she has thrown out all 'foreign' things from her house as 'it is bad for British people to use foreign things' and has been sitting half-naked in her downstairs front-room in full view of the street.
It's gone from a situation where I felt I ought to be being neighbourly to help her to one where I realise it's beyond me. I have no idea whether she is seeing a doctor or getting any kind of help, and don't think I can go and knock on her door to ask - nor am I sure that I would believe if she said she was as some of her recent statements on her health are quite unbelievable. I don't know any other of her family or friends so don't know who else to ask. But I am worried for her and about her mental state - she seems to me to be on the verge of a breakdown.
Should I leave well alone and assume she must be getting help or should I speak to someone, and if so, who do I go to? I've no experience of this so don't know where to turn, and am equally worried that maybe she is fine and if I 'shop' her it might cause all sorts of problems for her.
Thanks for any advice : I've not been on this board before - am more of an AIBU lurker - and have never started a thread before, but have been worrying about this poor woman and DH and I just are at a loss about what we should do.