money & mental health
(First published - March 8th 2016)
It's a well known fact within the mental health field, that you're 6 times more likely to suffer from financial issues and debt if you're suffering from a form of mental health...
And when we, as human beings, (regardless of mental health issues or not) are suffering from financial issues or debt, we have increased anxieties and pressure to stay afloat, as I mentioned in my blog about Ethics previously...
What this means for someone who suffers from more serious mental health issues, is that our rate of recovery is slower, our moods are often darker and we tend to sink into a pit of discerning thought, that it feels pretty difficult to lift ourselves from.
I've seen example of this type of pressure result in suicides, I myself have been at the point of suicidal thinking and self harm when things have been really bad, especially if financial issues, coupled with depression, with a side dish surrounding a poor relationship all get thrown into the mix together...
So what do we do about this?
Today there was a glimmer of light in the world of business when Martin Lewis announced his plans to try and think tank us out of the issues, some of his suggestions are slightly radical and may seem like bridges that are difficult to cross, however, there's a rational there, funded by Martin, that may just make a dent in the problems...
The solutions won't come thick and fast, he's not the messiah of the mentally unwell just yet, however he's a very positive light at the end of the tunnel and if this becomes a wider acknowledged subject that's openly talked about and considered both at major and minor government levels then perhaps throwing these types of ideas around could lead to real and quantifiable solutions to this issue!
I strongly urge you, if you've not see it already, to take a look at Martins comments and video here: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/family/2016/03/martin-lewis-launches-new-money%E2%80%93mental-health-policy-institute
Judge for yourself and see what you feel... But also be mindful and open, nothing changes over night, though we do have the opportunity to have our say in how things do change for the better long term.
In my opinion there needs to be a wider government initiative surrounding vocational training and ways to get people into work, who may perhaps find themselves too anxious to even leave the house, a lot of people might find that laughable, but we should ask ourselves as individuals, what can we do to afford those people their lives back... we can't wait for the powers that be to wave a wand, what Martin is doing is excellent, but we need to make changes and adaptations as independent human beings too...
Part of the issue is those with mental health managing their money in-efficiently, but the other issues are surrounding people even having the ability to earn in the first place.
A contact of mine got in touch today to talk about how her brother suffers from schizophrenia and it's been a continual mission for her and her mother to try and find him sustainable work... How can we as a UK wide community be more receptive to supporting these individuals? If we own our own company, or we're big fish is a wider organisation, what provisions can we make?
It's no different, in my opinion, to making allowances for a single parent, with time out should their child become ill... Or affording a number of roles per annum in larger companies, where people with mental health disorders are welcomed...
If you're a multi million £ operation then why not save some tax developing roles for these individuals, stop sticking it offshore or ducking your HMRC submissions, you can afford to take the hit if someone has a day off, though you may just change a life...
It's harrowing to hear another trains been delayed because someone took their own life... And what make me feel more sick is that it doesn't have to be that way!
Well done Martin for trying to make a dent, if all you do in this initiative is make us as a society stop and think then every penny you spent was worth it in my eyes!
