Locked up for the crime of being unwell

Few could fail to be moved by the plight of the 16-year-old girl who hit the headlines over the weekend after it was revealed she spent two nights in a police cell as there was no hospital bed for her anywhere.

Even if you have no experience of mental health, the thought of a terrified and very poorly young girl being locked up - not because she was guilty of a terrible crime but because she was too ill to stay at home - is beyond awful. 

Many will use this story as a reason to attack the Government or to talk about the politics of the situation - whilst I agree we need to have discussions around why this has been allowed to happen and how our supposedly civilised society allows for such barbaric treatment, it's not about name calling or pointing figures. 

Mental health has been the Cinderella of the health service since the dawn of time, the black sheep of the family brushed under the carpet - now it's gaining more prominence but  this needs to effect change, not just push politically-minded people to choose a side to blame. We need to hold those in charge in our health trusts, hospitals, council chambers and Houses of Parliament to account but we need to make sure we're doing this constructively.

This girl is already a victim of a system not set up to actually care for those in real need. By highlighting her story we (and by we I mean anyone who cares about mental health - which really should be us all) can push those in charge to do better. To introduce new rules to ensure this doesn't happen again. To assign some value to the vast proportion of people in our society with mental health issues. To make her the last (but sadly not the only) treated this way.

It's about not only having the conversation but having it in a constructive way (Saying: I went through the system and think it could be improved for patients in this way/asking MPs to raise it in Parliament/querying how the money for mental health is spent) not simply using it as an opportunity to shout 'you're rubbish' at people.

Because let's not forget behind the stats, the well used 'one in four' figure and the headlines - there is a girl. A frightening, confused, very poorly girl. A girl thrown in a cell used for the rapists, murderers and paedophiles of our society for the 'crime' of being unwell. A girl who, if she had any number of physical health issues, would never be treated this way. A girl whose family and friends will be at breaking point right now. A girl who will not be helped by onlookers throwing spiteful politically-loaded words at others. A girl who just wants someone to tell her it will all be okay and not only that - but to actually then make it okay.