The cost of living crisis deepens mental health problems for many people in the UK with financial strains mounting rapidly, just at the point where the pandemic and the threat of isolation and lockdown seemed to be receding.
The very high inflation together with uncertainty about work and revenues are creating “impossible choices” between heating and eating and putting “great pressure” on people with mental health problems. Health problems, says Vicky Nash, chief of policies and campaigns for Mind.
With prices rising much faster than incomes and the looming threat of even higher energy and food bills to come.
Paul Harris, 42, collapsed from work-related stress five years ago and had to quit his job in residential rentals.
You suffer from anxiety and depression that have been made worse by financial worries and debt. She has occasional work, giving talks and support to other patients but has not been able to work full time.
Income is “sporadic” and rising bills are now a major source of anxiety, he says.
“I lose control pretty quickly and my mood can quickly drop to the point where I can’t do anything,” says Harris.
“We are not in a destitute situation, but we are constantly worried about money.”
Harris’s wife, who works in accounting, manages the household budget. The couple fell into debt after Harris left the job and they were forced to live on a single income.
“Our credit rating is shot. We can’t borrow money, we can’t get a mortgage. Buying a house seems like a very distant prospect.”
“Because I’m not contributing financially, it really affects my value and self-esteem. I feel a lot of pressure.”
That has been significantly exacerbated by huge increases in bills. Harris is paying £100 a month more for power while his wife lost some customers during the pandemic.
“There may be something in the news about rising energy bills, or we get a message from the utility company that can really get me down or very quickly.”
He adds: “It definitely fucks with an already vulnerable mind.”
Money and mental health are often linked, explains Mind’s Vicki Nash.
“Poor mental health can make earning and managing money more difficult, and financial worries can have a huge impact on our mental health.”
Skyrocketing inflation coupled with uncertainty about jobs and incomes are creating “impossible choices” between heating and eating, says Nash.
“This is putting a lot of pressure on people with mental health problems.
Benefits often provide a lifeline for people who aren’t feeling well enough to work or can’t find steady employment, but payments are rising at less than half the rate of inflation this year, leading to a significant reduction. in the income of the beneficiaries.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation estimates that the Chancellor’s decision not to raise benefits in line with inflation will push 600,000 people into poverty.
Charities say the system is also unnecessarily complicated and stressful. Cases where people are improperly denied payments or subjected to demeaning and insensitive evaluations are common.
Mind says she regularly hears from people experiencing mental health issues who are left without money due to the benefits system, which can make someone’s mental health worse.
Nearly half of those receiving benefits said their mental health was made much worse by their financial situation, according to Mind research.
Harris has his own experience in this regard. He underwent an assessment in 2019 and was told by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that his Personal Independence Payment (PIP) would stop.
“They told me I was fine and didn’t qualify,” says Harris. “I knew it wasn’t.”
“They ask you what progress you’ve made and say, ‘Well, if you can do that, you can do it regularly,’ when you can’t. I’m financially worse off.”
He has been fighting to get the payment reinstated ever since.
Nash says he has seen numerous examples where people are asked to recount trauma or even suicide attempts.
“Too often this system prevents people from staying afloat or living in constant fear that their income will be suddenly cut off due to sanctions.”
Being five weeks late before making the first payment often pushes people into debt, worsening their mental health.
Mind is also calling for a review of statutory sick pay, which is currently just £99.35 a week, one of the lowest rates of any rich country.
Two-thirds of people with a mental health problem who received SSP said it caused them financial hardship, according to a survey by the charity.
“That puts more pressure on someone and lowers their chances of recovery,” says Nash.
The link between financial problems and mental health works both ways, says Sue Anderson, media director at debt charity StepChange.
“Being in debt can increase the risk of experiencing problems such as anxiety and depression, while people with mental health problems can find it difficult to control financial matters, which can exacerbate debt problems.”
Anderson advises taking steps to address the problem, such as calling the StepChange advice line.
“Three months after receiving debt counseling, once people start to make progress in managing their debt, their well-being on average shows marked improvement in terms of measures such as being able to sleep at night and feeling better equipped to cope. day to day, day life.”
