Mental Health issues: should we stop people borrowing money?

Imogen

Martin,

GREAT topic. A really complex issue. I'm an ex-manic spender and now use credit effectively to help start a business. It's a deeply complex issue.

On improving access to the guide.... I think it would be a huge benefit if you arranged for the guide to be available as an MP3 (or similar) download.

I've spoken to a number of mental health groups in my time, and you can count on large proportions of the audience having dyslexia - especially those with bipolar or schizophrenia in their diagnosis.

Also having the guide in an audio format might encourage people to listen to it over and over again as they went about their daily lives ensuring they understand and remember it better.

There are lots and lots of people who take things in better from audio recordings than reading it.

This is going to rather different form your mortgage guide, where people had a huge motivation to study it. Some won't want to face what's happened to them. Best make it really easy for them get the information they need.

Video PowerPoint-based presentations can also be done to increase retention of key points particularly.

Also your best journalist work on making a simple and straight-forward summary would be invaluable.

I know this will put the production costs up, but I'm confident that it will increase the accessibility of the guide enormously.

Thanks again. This really will make a difference. I've not known what to advise carers who have raised this topic with me.

Best wishes,

Imogen

trace_567

I have to say I feel this is dangerous ground. I have struggled with mental health problems practically my whole life, and still do. However at the same time I have always known my limits with money and spending, mostly down to the fact I was taught from an early age to save money, and not to live beyond my means.
I have spent what amounts to a whole year of my life in hospital due to my mental health.
The only credit I have is a credit card, something that is extremely useful to me as I struggle to set foot out of the door. If I didn't have a credit card I would struggle to buy anything, as 95% of my shopping is done online. This means, clothes, food, etc.
If something like this was taken away from me, as this is affect a form of a loan, however I personally always repay it straight away. How would I live without this?

What also has to be considered in this is human rights. Can you take away someones access to financial services that others have access to purely because of their state of mind?
Who decides on their state of mind in the first place?
Who is declared sane of mind, and who isn't?

At stages in my life I have been classes as not sane of mind for trying to commit suicide, yet even then I was quite capable of looking after my money.

I agree that for those who are implosive due to their mental health could well benefit from such restrictions. But the big issue really must be, where do you draw the line, and who draws that line?

dmg24

trace,

I don't think Martin has any intention of launching a campaign to limit the rights of those with mental health problems.

The issue he is trying to address is helping MH individuals manage their money, and even more so, finding a solution to problems caused by excessive or inappropriate spending caused by MH episodes.

However at the same time I have always known my limits with money and spending, mostly down to the fact I was taught from an early age to save money, and not to live beyond my means.

I find this comment quite offensive TBH. I have also been taught the value of money from an early age, indeed I used to be an accountant, but in times of illness, for some of us what we have have previously known goes out the window. If you read some of the posts (in particular relating to bi polar), you will see that this is nothing to do with upbringing.

But the big issue really must be, where do you draw the line, and who draws that line?

An excellent point, but again, I really don't think that Martin has any plans to change MH law (Martin, apologies if I am wrong!).

Edit: Just noticed this is an old thread, and maybe the title is a little misleading if you don't read the blog also?

dmg24

Imogen wrote: »

Martin,

GREAT topic. A really complex issue. I'm an ex-manic spender and now use credit effectively to help start a business. It's a deeply complex issue.

On improving access to the guide.... I think it would be a huge benefit if you arranged for the guide to be available as an MP3 (or similar) download.

I've spoken to a number of mental health groups in my time, and you can count on large proportions of the audience having dyslexia - especially those with bipolar or schizophrenia in their diagnosis.

Also having the guide in an audio format might encourage people to listen to it over and over again as they went about their daily lives ensuring they understand and remember it better.

There are lots and lots of people who take things in better from audio recordings than reading it.

This is going to rather different form your mortgage guide, where people had a huge motivation to study it. Some won't want to face what's happened to them. Best make it really easy for them get the information they need.

Video PowerPoint-based presentations can also be done to increase retention of key points particularly.

Also your best journalist work on making a simple and straight-forward summary would be invaluable.

I know this will put the production costs up, but I'm confident that it will increase the accessibility of the guide enormously.

Thanks again. This really will make a difference. I've not known what to advise carers who have raised this topic with me.

Best wishes,

Imogen

Big Welcome to MSE Imogen!

Your post has some really interesting ideas, in fact it is probably the most informative first post I have read on here!

There is a newer thread specifically relating to the MH Guide that Martin is planning - if you could copy your text and repost it over there I know people would be really happy to read it! x

trace_567

dmg24

I'm sorry if I upset you. I did not mean at all that upbringing has anything to do with bi-polar or any other condition.
I did mean though is that one persons definition of not being sane of mind, and anothers can be two different things. Therefore caution with any such way of proventing people with MH problems borrowing could be a very risky area.
At the bottom of my post I wrote "I agree that for those who are implosive due to their mental health could well benefit from such restrictions."
I did infact by this mean conditions such as bi-polar or addictions or any other MH problem that leaves people at great risk of spending problems.

Errata

Mental Health Issues: Should we stop people borrowing money?

It's been pointed out in a previous post that 1 in 4 of the population will experience a mental health issue or problem at some point in their lives.
It seems to me it would be unreasonable to make a judgement without a definition of which group of people we are talking about and what criteria have been used to arrive at that definition.