MSE News: defends Mental Health & Debt guide after debt collectors' criticism

RecoveringAlcoholic

In the press release, the CSA's president Sara de Tute says: "The guide uses words such as 'bullying' and 'harassment' that do both the collections agencies and the consumers a gross disservice.

I guess that in real life Sara has never met anybody who has been the victim of a commission hungry DCA employee.

Former_MSE_Dan

LittleVoice wrote: »

Please say where you obtained this "statistic".

I think you have misunderstood what you have read somewhere if you think that a quarter of adults experience mental health problems in any year.

Hi,


The stat is taken from the Office of National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity report 2001.


Dan

ILW

MSE_Dan wrote: »

Hi,


The stat is taken from the Office of National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity report 2001.


Dan

Does seem odd as MIND quote that 1 in 4 people will suffer from a MH problem in their lifetime.

RecoveringAlcoholic

LittleVoice wrote: »

Please say where you obtained this "statistic".

I think you have misunderstood what you have read somewhere if you think that a quarter of adults experience mental health problems in any year.

From MIND:

Every year, one in four of us will experience a mental health problem

http://www.mind.org.uk/about

oldvicar

Part of the problem with mental (ill) health is that those who have not experienced clinical depression (either personally or through someone close to them) doesn't really understand and is far too quick to presume that it means people are just 'a bit miserable', or 'feeling depressed'. Because the symptoms are less obvious than some other illnesses, the debilitating effect on sufferers and the extent of the problem are easily underestimated.

whitewing

When I was badly ill after my baby, my anxiety levels were so high, and withdrawal from people so bad, that the telephone ringing in the house could trigger suicidal images. (I wasn't in debt so it wasn't debt collectors, just anybody who may need me to sort out a niggle when I was virtually incapable of either making a decision or dealing with the pressure of trying to hide my mental health condition). So I can fully understand why someone who is ill and being chased about debts could honestly find baliffs and DCAs terrifying. And I can absolutely believe that if people could begin to understand and accept the depth of worthlessness that somebody could feel (even though the trigger may be perfectly reasonable actions), they would bend over backwards to not inflict that level of pain on someone else.

The more society talks about mental health, the easier it will become to determine the true from the fraudulent, the easier it will become to admit problems earlier and get help much, much earlier.

I really do welcome the guide, and the fact that MSE is the only place I can write about my own situation.

fatbelly

RecoveringAlcoholic wrote: »

I guess that in real life Sara has never met anybody who has been the victim of a commission hungry DCA employee.

As well as being the president of the CSA, she's a director of the Lowell Group, formerly with Wescot.

http://www.credittoday.co.uk/article/13748/online-news/sara-de-tute-to-join-lowell-group

If she doesn't know how her organisations behave, she should trawl through the debt-free wannabee forum on this site. But I suspect she knows full well what goes on. She just doesn't like it coming out in black and white.

vikingaero

I work for a bank and have helped people with debt problems.

The CSA is a limp wristed wet pet organisation funded by their biased members. Under their codes of conduct all of their members should have been expelled for their conduct in the last few years.

The favourite trick of CSA members is to sell or assign the debt to another DCA who hounds the debtor for a while. That DCA then "sells" the debt to another DCA who again hounds the debtor. Most of these DCA's are invariably linked to the original CSA member who then denies all knowledge of harassment by blaming it on another company. Until the CSA has real teeth and principles then I'm all for people dodging debts - debts that may possibly be due to my employer.

amyloofoo

fatbelly wrote: »

As well as being the president of the CSA, she's a director of the Lowell Group, formerly with Wescot.

http://www.credittoday.co.uk/article/13748/online-news/sara-de-tute-to-join-lowell-group

If she doesn't know how her organisations behave, she should trawl through the debt-free wannabee forum on this site. But I suspect she knows full well what goes on. She just doesn't like it coming out in black and white.

Well researched, as ever Fatbelly.

I can't think of many other people less qualified than Sara de Tute to feign ignorance about the effects of 'bullyboy' tactics on those suffering from depression, anxiety, paranoia, OCD, bipolar, schizophrenia, PTSD or a whole range of other conditions. I don't know how certain people sleep at night, but in the case of those who 'run' DCAs such Lowell I understand that it's because they have no morals or compassion whatsoever.

Paulgonnabedebtfree

The fact that the Credit Services Agency has bothered to respond - and in such a clear manner speaks volumes. They are running scared. Boot on the other foot?