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35,970 claims
Women with eating disorders are often afraid to ask for help or feel they don't deserve it.
Remember that people with eating disorders are often afraid to ask for help or feel they don’t deserve it.
Service · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 15
Deliberate self-harm is often undiagnosed as a condition in itself but may be linked to other conditions such as BPD and depression.
Self-harming is often undiagnosed as a condition in itself, but may be linked to other conditions such as borderline personality disorder and depression
Service · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 14
Women with BPD may be classed as manipulative or attention-seekers rather than someone with a mental health condition.
Women with BPD may be classed as ‘manipulative’ or as ‘attention-seekers’, rather than as someone with a mental health condition.
Service · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 14
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is often misunderstood or overlooked for diagnosis.
BPD is also known as ‘emotionally unstable personality disorder’ and is often misunderstood or overlooked for diagnosis.
Service · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 14
Community mental health teams can provide support for women with serious mental health concerns.
CMHTs generally consist of several mental health professionals, including psychiatrists, social workers, mental health nurses, occupational therapists and support workers. They support people with more serious mental health concerns living in the community.
Service · Procedural statement · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 12
Women in the criminal justice system may need to access GP or primary care services for health and wellbeing issues.
GP/Primary Care Services The GP (General Practitioner) is generally the first professional that people with a health or wellbeing problem go to – if they are registered with one. If they are not, provide them with a list of local GPs and advise them to register.
Service · Procedural statement · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 12
If a woman is at risk of immediate harm, professionals should contact the police or emergency services.
The police If the woman is at home, stay on the line until the police reach her property. If she is able to leave, encourage her to go to a police station or to a friend or family member’s house where she will be safe.
Operational · Procedural statement · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 11
Women in the criminal justice system may have experienced trauma that affects their mental health.
Trauma of some kind underpins the lives and the behaviour of a very high proportion of women who enter the criminal justice system. The majority of female offenders, for example, have been physically or sexually abused, either as children or as adults.
Context · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 13
If a woman is at immediate risk of harm, professionals may override her consent to provide support.
Don’t promise something you can’t give and make it clear that there are some situations in which you can override a woman’s refusal to consent to support – for example, if you feel that she is at immediate risk of harm.
Operational · Procedural statement · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 8
It is important to keep women informed about their situation and provide regular updates.
Keep the woman informed. It can be difficult for people to retain information when they are feeling anxious. It is important to give regular updates and check that the woman understands what is happening.
Operational · Procedural statement · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 8
Women in the criminal justice system may exhibit self-destructive behavior due to trauma.
Trauma itself is not limited to suffering violence, but may be the result of witnessing violence or stigmatisation because of poverty, racism, loss, severe neglect, incarceration or sexual orientation. Women with trauma histories may exhibit self-destructive behaviour, which acts as a way to manage unbearable feelings and to numb emotional pain.
Context · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 13
Women in the criminal justice system often have a history of violence or abuse.
According to the 2007 Corston Report, some 50-80 per cent of women in the criminal justice system have been the victims of some kind of violence or abuse – usually by a partner or family member.
Context · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 9
Women in the criminal justice system are less likely to draw attention to their needs.
Women are less likely than men to draw attention to themselves, so it can be easy to overlook their health and wellbeing needs. Remain observant and look for signs of neglect or abuse, particularly with women who are unusually quiet or withdrawn.
Context · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 6
Around 80% of women sent to prison are incarcerated for petty, non-violent offences.
Around 80 per cent of women sent to prison are incarcerated for petty, non-violent offences. Many of them are at risk of, or already experiencing, mental health problems that may be severely debilitating.
Context · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 3
Criminal justice professionals should be aware of the unique needs of women in custody, probation, at court or at risk of arrest.
This new guide draws on the experience of our own forensic mental health practitioners, the expertise we have developed across our criminal justice projects and our partnerships with experts in the field, including NHS Trusts and women’s services. It offers criminal justice professionals nationwide a framework for recognising and responding to the mental health and wellbeing needs of the women they encounter.
Policy · Policy statement · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 3
Prison is not an appropriate place for women with complex needs and should be avoided.
Prison is not the place for such women. As justice professionals, we have to ensure that there is an ever-present awareness of their needs, and of the alternatives to custody that can help them to keep away from crime by improving their health and wellbeing.
Policy · Policy statement · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 2
Over three-quarters of women in prison have two or more mental health disorders.
More than 50% have severe and enduring mental illness; 29% of all women in prison self-harmed in 2011, compared with 7% of all men; 83% of women in prison have a long-standing illness, compared with 32% of the general female population.
Context · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 2
More than half of women in prison have suffered domestic violence and a third have been raped.
Such increases present a challenge to the criminal justice system. For example, studies tell us that women in prison are overwhelmingly the victims of crime themselves. More than 50 per cent have suffered domestic violence and a third have been raped.
Context · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 2
Almost two-thirds of women in prison are given short-term sentences for non-violent offences.
Almost two-thirds are given short term sentences for non-violent offences, and the rate of imprisonment for women with no previous offences now outstrips that of men.
Context · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 2
The number of women in prison has more than doubled over the last 15 years.
Yet in the last 15 years, the number of women in prison has more than doubled to 4,000.
Context · Observational claim · From Together Common sense guide 2013, page 2