Money and Mental Health Policy Institute charity

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Money and Mental Health Policy Institute charity

We are an independent research and campaigning charity working to break the link between financial difficulty and mental health problems.
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Founded in 2016 by Martin Lewis.

10/08/2026

The government has announced new rules cracking down on misleading discounts and subscription traps.

As our Chief Executive Helen Undy OBE notes, this is good news for people with mental health problems – but much more needs to be done, and these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unfair practices that make life difficult for consumers.

06/08/2026

A countdown clock telling you a sale is about to end. A warning that there are “only two left”. A message that five other people also have the same item in their basket.

These pressure selling tactics can create a sense of urgency, encouraging us to act now rather than giving us time to stop and think.

For people with mental health problems, that pressure can be particularly difficult to navigate. Online shopping can be a lifeline, especially at times when getting to the shops feels overwhelming or simply isn’t possible. But some of the features built into online shopping platforms can make it harder to stay in control of spending.

Symptoms like increased impulsivity or anxiety can make it more difficult to step away from a prompt saying you have to act now, or you might miss out. Problems with concentration or memory can also make it harder to weigh up a purchase or keep track of spending.

Our research found that 54% of people who had recently experienced a mental health problem felt that online shopping sites make it too easy to spend more than you can afford.

And the effects can last beyond the moment of purchase. Spending more than intended can add to financial worries, while a complicated returns or cancellation process can make it harder to put things right.

To help people stay in control, here’s we’d like to see:

- Strong enforcement against misleading scarcity and urgency claims
- More ways for customers to switch off sales nudges and set spending controls
- Optional cooling-off periods, alongside simple returns and cancellations

Online shopping should make life easier – not push people into spending money they may not have, or during times when they’re not well.

31/07/2026

💬 “Being part of the community… means I can turn when I was in poor mental health to make sure other people don’t face similar issues.”

Sharing your experience and insight helps us to change policy.

Joining our Research Community — contributing through surveys, focus groups and more — helps us make the case to politicians, regulators and service providers that change is necessary.

Together, we can break the link between financial difficulty and mental health problems 💜

You can watch the full film this snippet is from on our YouTube channel — or find out more about the Research Community on our website: www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/community

30/07/2026

Our Research Community members - in their own words - share their experience of joining and contributing to our work 💜

The Research Community is a group of over 5,000 people with lived experience of mental health problems. Their experience and insight forms the basis of all of our research and campaigns.

This video is from film with more from the interviews with the three Research Community members shown here — as well as interviews with our Chief Executive Helen Undy and our Founder Martin Lewis.

You can watch the full film on our YouTube channel, or find out more about the Research Community on our website.

29/07/2026

Our Research Community of over 5,000 people with mental health problems are at the very heart of our work 💜

So many of the campaigns we have fought and the policy ideas we have developed have come from discussions with or experience shared by members of the Research Community.

In this section of our film marking 10 years of Money and Mental Health, three Research Community members share their experience of the cycle of money and mental health problems. We’re hugely grateful for the time they took to appear in this film 💜

Lived experience will always be at the centre of what we do. As our Chair and Founder Martin Lewis says: “We wanted every policy we come up with to be steeped in lived experience… if you haven’t lived that life, you can’t know how it feels.”

If you have with experience of mental health problems and you’re interested in joining our Research Community, just take a look at our website: https.www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/community

28/07/2026

"I remember at the time, thinking 'Thank heavens I can still pay the bills. What on earth would I be doing if I couldn't?' I vowed at the time that I was going to do something about it."

Our Chair and Founder Martin Lewis talks about why he set up the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute - in the first part our new video marking ten years of research and impact.

In the full video, you can see more of Martin and our Chief Executive Helen Undy explaining what we do and how we work - as well as three members of our Research Community talking about their experiences.

You can find the full video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6JNnRzFfhs or on Martin's profile.

24/07/2026

Tomorrow is National Schizophrenia Awareness Day.

Schizophrenia remains one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions, surrounded by fear and damaging stereotypes.

Understanding schizophrenia better means recognising the many ways it can affect someone’s life, including their financial wellbeing.

Schizophrenia is a long-term condition, but its symptoms and impact vary widely between people and over time. Hallucinations, delusions, reduced concentration or disorganised thinking can make everyday financial tasks extremely difficult – from opening post and following a list of instructions to completing forms or discussing bills. Symptoms can also affect a person’s ability to work and earn money.

At the same time, financial systems continue to expect action. A missed payment can lead to further letters, charges and collection activity, adding pressure when someone is least able to respond. The resulting financial harm can continue long after a period of crisis has passed.

As one member of our Research Community told us:

💬 “I was never asked if there was anyone who was opening mail and keeping on top of my day-to-day living stuff? It’s always the same. I go in for treatment and come out to find my financial world is in a bigger mess than when I went in.”

Stigma can compound these practical barriers. Harmful misconceptions about schizophrenia continue to fuel fear and misunderstanding, while debt is still too often treated as a purely personal failing.

When services only adapt after someone has repeatedly disclosed highly sensitive information, people can be left without appropriate support as the financial consequences escalate.

That’s why we’re calling for support that is built into services from the start.

The NHS should make financial wellbeing a routine part of care and crisis planning, connecting people directly with specialist money advice. Eligible people experiencing a mental health crisis should be routinely offered Mental Health Crisis Breathing Space, protecting them from debt collection while they receive treatment.

Banks and essential services providers should also communicate clearly, offer alternatives to lengthy phone calls and make it easy for people to nominate someone they trust to help manage their finances when needed.

National Schizophrenia Awareness Day is an opportunity to deepen our understanding of what people need to live well with the condition. Financial security is part of that. With the right systems in place, periods when symptoms worsen should not leave lasting financial harm behind.

With our thanks to Rethink Mental Illness for organising this awareness day. You can find out more about Schizophrenia, and answers to common questions about the condition, here on their website: https://www.rethink.org/campaigns-and-policy/awareness-days-and-events/national-schizophrenia-awareness-day/

23/07/2026

75% of mental health problems are established by the age of 24.

We know that money and mental health problems are closely linked – about half of people in problem debt also have a mental health problem.

And young people today are facing an unprecedented landscape, where it is tougher to find and hold onto good work, afford the essentials or build a sense of independence in day-to-day life.

That’s why we need action that recognises the link between money and mental health.

We need employment support that removes barriers for people living with poor mental health.

And we need joined-up and accessible support before people reach crisis point.

Because when we support people’s financial wellbeing, we help to protect their mental wellbeing too.

15/07/2026

Buy Now, Pay Later is changing.

From today these products – allowing people to defer and split up payments across several months – will finally be regulated.

Why does this matter?

People have told us that debts they’ve taken on with Buy Now Pay Later products have been difficult to keep track of, and sometimes had confusing or unclear terms and conditions.

11 million people across the UK regularly use Buy Now Pay Later products, so it’s important that they work for people and help them to stay in control of their spending.

Some of our Research Community members told us that spending through Buy Now Pay Later can feel artificially affordable. As one person told us, it “feels like the purchase doesn’t cost anything but when the payments are due later it’s unaffordable.”

That’s why it’s vital to make it as clear as possible to customers when payments are made, what happens if a payment is missed.

It’s right these products are regulated. It’s something we’ve called for for years – and we’ll be keeping an eye on how these changes are introduced and the difference that it makes for people’s finances.

13/07/2026

Money and mental health problems are a vicious cycle. But we’re here to break it ⛓️‍💥

Whether it’s debt, unemployment or money worries, our finances can have a big impact on our emotions, our wellbeing and our mental health.

And mental health problems can make it much tougher to earn and to manage our money.

Ten years ago we were founded by Martin Lewis to break that vicious cycle between financial difficulty and mental health problems.

This isn’t a niche issue. In England alone over 1.5 million people are experiencing both problem debt and mental health problems.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Come and help us break the vicious cycle of money and mental health problems.

Address

244-254 Cambridge Heath Road, Cambridge Heath
London
E29DA

Website

http://www.moneyandmentalhealth.org/

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