Bi-polar and in debt!

mimiboo22

Hi,

My dad is newly diagnosed bi-polar (type II) after having various manic episodes that made us wonder if something was not quite right! The latest, spanning 2009-10, racked up massive debts of which £34K are still outstanding. In a manic-depressive state, he is completely unable to work due to chronic fatigue (alcoholism, a common way of self-medicating by bi-polar sufferers, is another hindrance on his employability). He is not able to claim benefits as his problems are mental and not necessarily physical; he can move, he just doesn't have the energy, which apparently is not good enough for the benefit people. My mum is a newly qualified midwife at 50, working full time, but whose salary barely covers the household bills. Also, any more strain on her could potentially cause a complete breakdown (she is on anxiety meds as it is). We sold as much as possible, including the house, and now live mortgage free (which is great as we cannot afford a mortgage now anyway!) in a small property.
My dad has been in touch with the citizens' advice bureau which have been a great help and the debt was reduced for 6 months to nominal payments of £1. The 6 months have now elapsed and the debts are being demanded again.
I wondered if anyone had any ideas as to what to do? It's a bit of a sensitive situation as if my mum has a breakdown from stress/etc then we are totally without income, and we can't really afford repayments, so options are somewhat limited...!

Tixy

Hi

I would suggest in the short term writing letters to the creditors again to continue token payments, explain that circumstances haven't changed (if they haven't). There is also a useful booklet on dealing with debts and mental health problems which might be worth reading - Mental Health & Debt Guide: Free booklet for depression, bipolar & anxiety

If dad no longer has any assets and is not likely to be able to work again he might also want to speak to one of the debt charities to consider if bankruptcy might be an option is his circumstances - either contact the CAB again or one of the other charities listed her e- IMPORTANT - Where to seek professional impartial advice about your debts.
Sorry just re-read, sounds like they do still own a property in which case of course bankruptcy is unlikely to be an option.

dancingfairy

o.k a few things:
1) you can claim benefits for mental health problems -o.k it is by no means easy but you can get it. In terms of passing the assesment for ESA he should make it clear how his mental health affects him. Do get advice on this - you need to get specialist help from a benefits charity such as Dial or perhaps another mental health charity in the area as to how to word the forms and which benfits are applicable etc.
2) there is no set time limit for paying 1 pound token payments. Basically if he can't afford repayments then he can't afford repayments. The creditors might not be particularly happy but frankly if he can't afford it, he can't afford it. Obviously as Tixy has said, in the longer term it might be worth looking at a DRO or perhaps bankruptcy to get a clean slate.
3) I also wonder whether it might be worth putting a note on his credit file or some sort of flag to get lenders to do more thorough checks when approached for credit? Perhaps a pasword could be put on his file?
4) I know that in extreme cases of debts being racked up due to a person being unwell debts can be written off. It might be worth getting some advice on this - certainly in terms of talking to his doctor, any counsellors, his psychiatrist etc.
5) I would advise your mother to get help and advice too and try and seperate their finances as much as possible ie sever any joint accounts.
What is the situation with regards to the house? whose name is it in? whose name was the previous house in and whose name was the mortgage in? How much is the house worth? I'm asking because bankruptcy seems the most logial solution but clearly something will need to be worked out in terms of the house etc.
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dancingfairy

It would also be helpful to know whether any debts are joint (either from your mum knowing at the time or otherwise) or whether they are solely in your dad's name.
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BKAT_9

Didnt want to read and run, my heart goes out to you and well done your mum for career changing a little later in life!

I cant really add any advice but just wanted to show my support.

givememoney

It is interesting you say you dad is bipolar and an alcoholic.

My son suffered for depression for years, I didn't realise but he to was a alcoholic.

The only advice I am offering is get your dad to attend AA. My son has done this and the transformation was incredible.

Once the drinking ceased he ate better and the depression lifted.

Good luck with dad.

Amatheya81

Bipolar disorder and depression are two different things.

My mom is bipolar and has been unable to work nearly her entire life, at her worse she has had 5 nervous breakdowns for which she has had to be placed in secure mental health facilities. Luckily right now she's been "stable" for a couple of years. As Dancingfairy said, you can get benifits for mental health however it is a long and painful road. Get advice from your GP. You will find that getting help for this kind of problem is dificult and you will need to be firm with your healthcare providers. Look on your local council and NHS website to see what services they can offer you. At a minimum your father should be having regulare meetings with a councilor/social worker until they have found the correct level of medication and dealt with his alchoholism. The councilor/Social worker should also be able to provide you with benifit applications and give their recomendation but you will have to push and make sure they know exactly how bad things are. Don't trust them to be able to see that for themselves or your father to make them aware. Bipolar people lie a lot so you can't always trust what they are telling you about things, including their health.
Has your mother looked into claiming carer allowance? It's not a large amount of money but again it's something to look into. Also get in touch with local mental health charities. They will be happy to give you relevant advice.

I wish I could tell you that things will get better but the sadly bipolar never goes away it can only be managed and medicated and quit often the medication does as much harm as good.