Webinar Date: Thursday 13 June 2019
Delivered by: Amani Fairak

This webinar, with Amani Fairak from Citizens Advice, will provide a short overview of how financial difficulties and debt can impact a person’s mental health and how this can be prevented. This webinar will also include a presentation by a local Citizens Advice charity as an example of a VCSE service being provided at the local level.

Deprivation or having financial difficulties, such as struggling with rent arrears, or household bills, can worsen people’s mental health, physical health and quality of life. Being in financial difficulties is both a cause and a result of mental health needs. People, in deprived areas, are more likely to have multiple and complex health problems. They are more likely to suffer from anxiety or depression, be admitted to hospital for mental health treatment, are more likely to be obese, and die approximately eight years younger. Around 43% of people with mental health conditions are in employment, compared to 74% of the general population, while only 8% of those with Schizophrenia are in work. They are also likely to live in poor conditions, such as in temporary accommodation, on a low income, or at a greater risk of being a crime victim. The impact of these challenges affect people’s engagement with mental health services. Financial difficulties are the number one non-health issue that is raised at mental health appointments in England, followed by employment and housing.

Citizens Advice is a network of 300 independent local Citizens Advice charities and last year we helped 2.7 million people with 6.3 million practical problems. Poor mental health is a significant issue for the people who seek our help. Our advisers see first-hand how mental health conditions mean people can struggle to manage other aspects of their lives to do with benefits, housing, debt and employment. In turn, they see how these problems can worsen people’s mental health, leading to periods of crisis or standing in the way of recovery.