'Mental health and Debt: are you willing to go public?' blog discussion

Ned25

Question:
What is the spouse/partner of a person with huge debts and mental issues (and no treatment) supposed to do?

spikedouglas

Ned25 wrote: »

Question:
What is the spouse/partner of a person with huge debts and mental issues (and no treatment) supposed to do?

No treatment, or no diagnosis?

If the latter, then the first step is to get a diagnosis of the issues. Then, once a care plan has been organised, you can start to sort out the debt issues.

In the meantime, you should remove as far as possible all sources of funding so that they are controlled. I put my OH on a simple debit card with no overdraft facility.

Ned25

spikedouglas wrote: »

No treatment, or no diagnosis?

If the latter, then the first step is to get a diagnosis of the issues. Then, once a care plan has been organised, you can start to sort out the debt issues.

In the meantime, you should remove as far as possible all sources of funding so that they are controlled. I put my OH on a simple debit card with no overdraft facility.

No diagnosis, but he's got all the characteristics of bpd and npd. He is in complete denial, puts all the blame on me and rages when i try to explain something is not right. He spends a lot when stressed, and he does not seems to stop going for extra loans or mortgages in order to pay for the previous debts, it is a circle and i don't know how to make him stop. He considers himself a good businessman but all i see is someone who do not know what budget means and who is ready to do anything to get what he wants. Sometimes he asks himself how he got into so much debt, how he lost his way, but i cannot force him to talk about this to a doctor. I try to bring up the subject once in while he changes his mind very quickly and ends up saying that nothing is wrong with him.

alankb

I think this is a very difficult area to get people to take notice of and as far as getting anyone to take action to help those of us that are suffering with both these issues i wish you all the best. my problems started after being in intensive care on life support, since then me and my wife have suffered with mental health issues and depression, i am self employed and the benefits help we got after i came home was of no use to my family and pushed us into debt since then both health and debt have escalated.
i would be prepared to discuss the options of assisting you although i would not promise until i can way up the long term implications.

ciscokid

FOrget it, I am no longer interested, you closed my thread where a simple question I asked "how can I get a loan" turned into 15 pages of attacks...I think everyone else in the thread was the people with mental problems. Nice try, but its clear there stigma will never go away.

B.E.N

spikedouglas wrote: »

I'm on JSA (have to find job that fits around caring), she's on ESA with little prospect of finding any work that she can stick at.

Hi - have you looked into joining her ESA claim? And/or Claiming Carer's Allowance?*

* She would need to be in receipt of middle-rate Care Component of Disability Living Allowance, but by your description of her illness(es) that shouldn't be an issue.

spikedouglas

B.E.N wrote: »

Hi - have you looked into joining her ESA claim? And/or Claiming Carer's Allowance?*

* She would need to be in receipt of middle-rate Care Component of Disability Living Allowance, but by your description of her illness(es) that shouldn't be an issue.

She got the high-rate care component. We looked at linking ESA, but have decided to keep the two claims separate for the time being. That may change. Both Carer's allowance and ESA are means tested, and you screw the claim up in my experience by earning anything.

S

B.E.N

spikedouglas wrote: »

She got the high-rate care component. We looked at linking ESA, but have decided to keep the two claims separate for the time being. That may change. Both Carer's allowance and ESA are means tested, and you screw the claim up in my experience by earning anything.

S

Hi,

You say that both ESA and Carer's are means-tested..


Well, there's ESA(C) which is the Contribution-Based Benefit - you've paid your NI stamps, etc. It's not means tested. Lasts indefinately.

Then there's JSA(C) which is the Contribution-Based Benefit - again, you've paid your NI stamps. It's not means-tested. Lasts for 26 weeks.

There are also means-tested versions (JSA(IB) and ESA(IR)), respectively. So ESA is not automatically a means-tested benefit, per se - there are two types of ESA.

If you are BOTH in receipt of the Contribution-Based benefits, then you can operate seperate claims. If either of you are on the Income-Based Version (JSA(IB) or ESA(IR)) and are 'living together as Husband and Wife/Civil Partners', then the JCP need to be informed of this and you may need to go on to a Joint Claim.

As for Carer's allowance - it's a bit of an odd one - it is means tested so far as YOUR earnings, but not (AFAIK) on your Partner's Earnings (if she were to go back to work) or on Savings/Capital, like most other Means-Tested benefits are. I don't know your current situation, but if you're thinking you can't get it as over £16,000 capital, you may want to look again.

sealman

Love to help, but not wanting to go public as I suffer from mental health issues - not going into too much detail, currently off work with depression / stress, somewhat worried about whats going to happen with that regards to my job and my mortgage, but that's for another thread.....

Hope you get some success with the guide + media

Ruth_Parsons

Congratulations Martin,
Am trying to get an email to you re. Debt and Mental Health but not having any luck - so just checking again if anything going through.