Up to 3m UK people behind on bills have had mental health problems, study says | Mental health

Up to 3 million people in the UK who are behind with at least one bill have experienced a mental health problem in the last two years, according to research.

YouGov polling for the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute charity found that 12% of all people were behind on at least one payment such as energy, rent or credit cards, of whom half – 3 million – had a mental health problem.

In all, people who have had mental health problems in the past two years are three times more likely to be behind on at least one significant bill, the report found, with 60% saying they felt unable to cope due to rising costs. Yet only 9% have received money or debt advice since the start of the cost of living crisis.

The charity calculates that the government could save more than £140m a year and double recovery rates for people with depression and debt by joining up mental health and money support. It calls on the government and NHS England to provide practical financial advice alongside NHS talking therapies.

This would double recovery rates for people struggling with debt and depression, help an extra 27,000 people recover from mental health problems each year and reduce waiting times for mental health services. The authors calculate that these changes would save £39m by reducing demand for health and social care services and generate £105m in wider economic benefits and boosts to workplace productivity, resulting in more people recovering from mental health problems.

Martin Lewis, chair and founder of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, said: “The cost of living crisis shows no sign of abating, and even if it does, the fallout will last years. Financial problems and mental health issues are locked together, it’s about time treatments were linked too.

“For many years, therapists, mental health nurses and social workers have told us they often spend substantial, valuable clinical time helping people with their finances. It makes more sense to leave debt help professionals to do that and take some pressure off the NHS, letting clinicians focus on helping people get better.”

Rachel, 46, from Cardiff, has had depression most of her life. But when she tried to come off her medication, she went into a downward spiral of spending and gambling and ran up debts of about £15,000. “It’s mad, because the more debt you get in, the more the credit card companies will give you,” she said. “At one point I had about 10 different credit cards.”

She says at no point did any health professional ask her how she was coping financially and she felt unable to raise it herself.

Suzanne Hoddy, a 37-year-old nurse from Leicester, says no one considered whether she could handle her finances on discharge from a mental health setting in 2017. “Never at any point did someone ask: who’s actually managing her house, all the bills, is that going to be a potential issue when she gets home?” she said. “There was no thought of that.”

Had they done so earlier, Hoddy might have avoided a court summons for failing to pay her council tax while an inpatient. Linking mental health and money services “might mean an extra five minutes that you’ve had to spend with that person, but for that person’s recovery, it’s made a massive difference,” she said.

Dr Subodh Dave, dean of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said psychiatrists were “intensely aware” of the significant impact of the cost of living crisis on patients’ mental health. He said: “Debt may have disastrous consequences for individuals and their families.

“Clinicians can play their part by enquiring about their patients’ financial situations and how this might be affecting their mental health. Collaboration is needed from a range of other bodies including financial advice services and social care organisations.”

A government spokesperson said: “We’re investing £2.3bn of extra funding a year by March 2024 to expand and transform mental health services in England, to treat an additional 2 million patients. We’ve also helped nearly 2 million people out of absolute poverty since 2010, and provided a £94bn support packages – worth about £3,300 per household – to help those most in need.”