Money and Mental Health Policy Institute charity

10/10/2026

When we’re struggling financially, it often affects our mental health. And when we’re struggling with our mental health, earning or managing money can get tougher too.

The link is clear. 46% of people in problem debt also have a mental health problem. And 18% of people with mental health problems are in problem debt.

This World Mental Health Day, let’s talk about the things that affect our mental health – including our money. And together let’s commit to breaking the vicious cycle of money and mental health problems 💜

You can help make a difference by joining thousands of members of our Research Community. Sharing your story helps us to secure change affecting millions of people with mental health problems. You can join up via our website: https://www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/community/

09/10/2026

The rise in mental health problems in recent years is real. And financial insecurity is a major factor driving it.

Those are the findings of the government’s independent review into the prevalence of mental health problems, ADHD and autism.

The review makes clear that mental distress and common mental health conditions have increased substantially in recent years.

And that socio-economic factors such as financial insecurity, housing and unemployment have contributed to this.

It also calls for government action to reduce waiting times for mental health treatment and to improve preventative support.

Reducing waiting times and improving access to mental health support are vital, but they aren’t enough.

Without investment in prevention and tackling the financial drivers of poor mental health, more and more of us will face financial hardship and the knock-on impact on our mental health. Prevalence will continue to rise and demand on mental health services to grow.

Money advice should be embedded in all mental health services, more tailored employment support – particularly for those already struggling with their mental health – and an emphasis on the role that banks and other financial services can play in getting help to people when they first start to struggle.

23/09/2026

What helps people with mental health problems feel supported and stay in work? 💬

As part of our new research, we asked our Research Community what they need from employers. They told us about the different flexible hours, manageable workloads and understanding managers can make – alongside feeling valued for the skills they bring.

But too often, people struggle to get that support. While many employers are working hard to support staff wellbeing, some people who took part in our research described being dismissed, mocked or bullied when they shared a mental health problem.

Many people with mental health problems want to work and can with the right support. Making that possible means helping people find jobs that suit their needs, and ensuring workplaces support them to stay.

📢 That’s why we’re calling on the government to improve employment support, rather than step up benefit sanctions, and calling for employers to make flexibility and understanding part of everyday working life.

This research is part of the Head on Campaign, a coalition of over 20 leading UK mental health charities.

16/09/2026

Mental health isn’t always neat or predictable.

Support should not depend on someone being able to manage in the same way.

For people with fluctuating mental health problems, responsibilities that feel manageable during one period can become confusing or overwhelming during another.

Changes in concentration, memory, energy or decision making can make it harder to understand bills, keep track of spending, respond to correspondence or complete essential tasks.

When this affects someone’s finances, the consequences can last much longer than the period of poor mental health itself. Missed payments may become arrears, unanswered letters may lead to further action, and changes in spending can leave someone facing financial difficulties once their mental health improves.

Yet many of the systems people rely on are built around the assumption that they can engage consistently. Someone might begin a benefits claim, debt advice process or workplace adjustment while they are well, then become less able to keep up with appointments or deadlines as their mental health changes. The process continues in the same way, even when their capacity does not.

Support for fluctuating conditions needs to be adjustable. That could mean allowing more time, temporarily reducing someone’s hours or enabling a trusted person to provide clearly defined help with managing money.

Crucially, flexibility should not mean permanently giving up independence. People should be able to decide what support they may want during a future period of poor mental health, who can provide it, and where the limits should be.

From financial services to employment, support should be designed with change in mind – making it straightforward for help to increase and reduce as someone’s needs change, while protecting their choice and control.

14/09/2026

We were pleased to hear the new Minister for Mental Health Alison McGovern highlight in Parliament our work with financial services to improve support for people at risk of su***de.

Our Su***de Prevention Action Lab is bringing together five financial services firms to develop and test new ways to support their customers.

It will draw on insights from people with lived experience of suicidal thoughts and feelings, and from our research on the link between mental health and financial difficulty.

You can read more about our work on su***de prevention here: https://www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/su***de-prevention/

11/09/2026

We don’t believe people should have to explain they’re going through a mental health crisis again and again to get the right support.

Back in June, our Founder and Chair Martin Lewis spoke to a Parliamentary committee about the need for a ‘share once’ system in essential services.

And just today, the Public Accounts Committee has published a report calling on the government to create a multi-sector ‘tell us once’ system within the next two years.

We welcome this announcement. For someone with a mental health problem, telling their water company, energy provider, broadband provider or mobile provider the same personal information again and again can feel distressing and overwhelming.

We believe a voluntary and secure ‘share once’ system would be a step in the right direction – allowing someone to share their support needs once so essential service providers can offer the right support.

10/09/2026

Today is World Su***de Prevention Day.

We know just how closely financial difficulty is linked to su***de. People in problem debt are three times more likely to have considered su***de than people who are not in problem debt.

We want to help break that link between financial difficulty and su***de, and we know banks – with their unique level of insight into people’s finances – are well-placed to offer support.

Today we’re launching the Su***de Prevention Action Lab, with five major banks – Barclays UK, HSBC UK, Lloyds Bank, Monzo and Nationwide UK – on board. Together we will test and evaluate new ways of helping people who might be at risk of su***de.

This initiative also has the backing of Samaritans and the Financial Conduct Authority, who will be represented on the steering group.

Our chair and founder Martin Lewis welcomes this collaboration. You can read the full quote from Martin on our website: https://www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/press-release/martin-lewis-charity-brings-together-five-major-banks-to-help-tackle-su***de

02/09/2026

If you’ve ever had a knock at the door from a bailiff, or a letter threatening a bailiff visit, we have some good news to share.

Changes announced by the government last week will give the Enforcement Conduct Board, the body that regulates the bailiff industry, new powers to ensure bailiffs comply with the rules.

We’ve been campaigning for this change for years – and it’s a very welcome step towards reducing the harms that people face from aggressive debt collection.

New data from Money Advice Trust underlines the importance of this change.

It shows that 1.7 million council tax debts were referred to bailiffs in England and Wales in 2025/26 – with over 150 councils increasing their use of bailiffs compared to the previous year.

No-one should be made to feel unsafe in their home or in their community – but, unfortunately, the psychological impact of a visit from a bailiff can be devastating.

In the words of one member of our Research Community, receiving a visit from a bailiff was “incredibly intrusive” and “[has] shrunk my world.”

People experiencing financial difficulty should be offered support and affordable ways to repay before enforcement action is considered.

28/08/2026

Great news – the government has just announced new plans to crack down on bad bailiff behaviour🎉

Currently bailiffs can break rules and cause huge distress for people in debt, because the industry’s regulator – the Enforcement Conduct Board – doesn’t have the powers it needs to clamp down on bad bailiff practice.

But new changes will give the ECB the power it needs to ensure bailiffs to comply with the rules!

The vast majority of StepChange Debt Charity
clients who experienced bailiff action said it negatively impacted both their mental (95%) and physical (91%) health and wellbeing, as well as their ability to get enough sleep (94%) and how safe they felt in their own home (91%). That underlines why these changes are so badly needed.

But this announcement is only the beginning. Now we are asking the government to move quickly in making these changes reality and to put an end to aggressive bailiff behaviour for good.

25/08/2026

“Recovering from mental illness often takes more than medication and psychotherapy (although that’s important too), but also having something meaningful to do in the day; somewhere to live; someone to love, and crucially, some money in our pockets to pay the bills and participate in society.”

Our latest blog looks at neighbourhood mental health centres - set to be introduced across England in the coming years - and how they could help to break the toxic cycle between money and mental health problems.

We want to see financial advice and support offered under the same roof as mental health care - that's the route to tackling the cycle of mental health problems and financial difficulty.

Read more in the blog here:

New Neighbourhood Mental Health Centres will transform mental health support. We look at the plan, funding and the role of money advice.