This article provides tips from Community Care Inform Adults' guide on mental health and managing debt. The guide looks at why people might struggle to get help, how to recognise the signs and what social workers can do to support people. It also includes a list of useful resources to help guide mental health and money conversations. The guide has been updated by Charlene Marks, head of mental health and money advice at Mental Health UK. Inform Adults subscribers can access the guide here.
Social workers, especially those working in multidisciplinary teams with clinical staff, are critical to breaking the debt and mental illness cycle that many people experience.
Whether it’s the money worries that have triggered someone’s mental health issue, or a mental health condition that has caused their money issues, what matters – and what can make an enormous difference – is the intervention that social workers can make to resolve the problem or at least lessen some of the strain the person is feeling.
Mental illness can affect how people spend money, but it can be hard to spot the signs that they are struggling.
Signs of poor financial and mental wellbeing
As a social worker, there are several things that you can keep an eye out for that suggest poor financial and mental wellbeing. Ask yourself:
- Has the individual become unkempt, or do they have poor personal upkeep, when this was not always the case?
- Have the utilities in their house stopped working unexpectedly?
- Do they have a large number of unpaid bills?
- Have they become withdrawn and socially isolated?
One of the most obvious signs can be erratic and frivolous spending. This can be anything from buying expensive gifts for friends and family, to giving away large quantities of money to strangers. These habits may well appear out of the ordinary or out of character, especially if they are in a situation in which money is tight.
Safeguarding issues
There may also be issues around financial safeguarding, where family, acquaintances or even strangers exploit the person.
It is also wise to be alert if they suddenly talk about deciding to stop taking their medication. The decision to do so can be based on the false assumption that “they feel better” and are no longer ill. This decision can often be made without consulting their GP first.
In cases like this, there may be a revolving door of ill health, where the person takes medication for just long enough to feel better, only to stop and fall ill again.
These periods of illness can be a precursor to poor financial decision making.
It can also lead to someone informing the Department for Work and Pensions that they feel well enough to work, which can have a very detrimental effect on their access to benefits if inaccurate.
The importance of building a good relationship
But, frustratingly, there may be no obvious signs that someone with mental health problems is finding it hard to manage their money.
There is still a significant stigma attached to both mental illness and having financial issues, leading some people to hide that they are struggling.
The best way to combat this is to develop and maintain a good relationship with the person you support, ensuring that they feel comfortable confiding in you should they need to.
Subscribers to Community Care Inform Adults can access the full guide here. For more information about subscribing to Community Care Inform, click here.
Inform Adults subscribers can also take advantage of the following resources:
