Debt and mental health are closely linked, but support from lenders and charities can help break the cycle
-- Worries about debt have never been more pronounced. Despite misconceptions that unaffordable debt is associated with reckless spending or irresponsible behaviour, it is more often due to sudden financial shocks, such as the loss of a job, coupled with ever-higher living costs.
Unemployment and low incomes are common reasons households find themselves in levels of debt they will struggle to repay, and the ramifications on mental health can be serious.
Anxiety, stress and depression are all outcomes people experience when they are having financial difficulties, and anyone concerned about their finances and well-being is advised to seek help to enable them to take steps to get back on track physically as well as financially.
The Correlations Between Mental Health and Money Management
While many people find themselves in debt through circumstance, there are situations where poor mental health exacerbates the problem or makes it more likely that a person will become dependent on high-cost debt, such as credit cards and payday loans.
Depression can make it feel impossible to take action to track incomings and outgoings, which in turn makes a person more vulnerable to unemployment.
Worrying about debt can also cause progressively worsening sleep problems, low mood, feelings of helplessness, and prolonged anxiety, affecting a person’s ability to perform at work, maintain social relationships, or reach out for help.
Other mental health conditions can result in extended hospital stays that result in sharp losses of income, coupled with ill health. Cognitive diagnoses like dementia, alongside side effects of some medications, can prompt a drop in mental capacity that inhibits an individual’s ability to make smart choices about spending.
Similar problems also affect people who might have never encountered mental health issues but then experience changes in their mood and sense of well-being when they become financially distressed. Poor mental health connected to debt doesn’t apply only to people with underlying mental health conditions.
How Lenders Can Act to Support Borrowers in Financial Crises
UK-based lenders offer a range of programmes and support for customers in difficulty. This is often through repayment holidays, referrals to debt management charities, and customised agreements to lessen the burden of debt or remove the threat of penalties and debt recovery action.
In addition, responsible, regulated lenders should never extend more credit to anyone in financial difficulties. They should conduct fair affordability assessments to ensure loan repayments are manageable, and evaluate income, outgoings, and employment considerations to avoid lending to someone who cannot afford the debt or is already overstretched.
This is why credit checks are vital, and any lender offering ‘no credit check’ loans is unlikely to be regulated or authorised.
Direct lender, Cashfloat, has a library of free resources for anyone to access, whether or not they are a customer, along with complimentary loan calculators and affordability assessment tools to make decision-making easier for those considering debt consolidation.
Applying for Loan Repayment Breaks
Having breathing space can make all the difference. Although the standard is to offer a 60-day repayment break, lenders may be required to offer an extended period without a specific time limit.
This is part of the government scheme that requires creditors to provide time for borrowers to seek debt advice when they are experiencing debt-related stress. However, individuals must join the scheme to be eligible and must have evidence of a mental health crisis from an approved mental health professional.
If you are worrying about debt, the first step is to ensure you contact your lender, even if this feels hard, because they have a duty of care and regulatory responsibilities to offer assistance. If you don’t inform a bank or lender that you cannot make a repayment, late fees may apply automatically.
Should a lender be unable to help or not have a solution that is appropriate or relevant to you, they can signpost you to other organisations that are better placed to assist.
Scenarios When Debt Support May Be Essential to Your Mental Health
Low levels of debt, or loan agreements that you can afford, are unlikely to have any marked impact on your mental well-being, but it is incorrect to assume that stress only affects individuals with very high debt or high-cost credit, such as payday loans.
Spikes in interest rates between 2021 and 2023 led countless homeowners, many with stable incomes and employment, to seek help, concerned about unaffordable remortgaging costs or losing their homes due to increases in their monthly payments.
Signs of mental distress include anxiety and constantly thinking about debt, regularly missing minimum payments, or not knowing how or if they will be made. Ignoring calls or answering the door for fear of debt collectors and having no financial contingency for emergencies are all possible indications that you need help.
If you are reluctant to contact your lender or have not received any support, you may wish to request an appointment with your GP or a mental health professional. They may be able to recommend treatments or counselling services and can complete a document called a mental health evidence form, which confirms that a clinician believes mental ill health is connected to debt.
This form can support borrowers who are worried about contacting a lender or who have been deemed ineligible for support schemes, because it requires creditors to consider their mental health when corresponding and may influence how they collect debt repayments.
Help and Resources for UK Borrowers With Debt-Related Poor Mental Health
Alongside contacting your GP and lender, and talking to friends and loved ones about debt, there are several resources that might be useful and can help you access support.
These include the mental health crisis breathing space scheme mentioned, Mental Health and Money Advice, the charity Mind, and Citizens Advice.
Borrowers experiencing mental health concerns can also visit the MoneySavingExpert site, which offers a free downloadable guide on mental health and debt, created in partnership with Rethink, Mind, and CAP UK.
The guide shares tips on communicating with banks and lenders, finding free debt counselling, managing debt during poor health and specific guidance for individuals with conditions such as depression and bipolar disorder.
About the company: Cashfloat is one of the UK’s leading direct lenders. We provide online loans for people with all credit scores. Cashfloat is fully authorised and regulated by The Financial Conduct Authority.
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Name: Ofer Valencio Akerman
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Organization: Cashfloat
Website: https://www.cashfloat.co.uk/
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