Mental Health column

Mental Health and the cost-of-living crisis

The cost-of-living crisis. Fuel prices are going up. Brexit. The struggle is very real for many of us with some people in society feeling it more profoundly than others. You may have heard the saying that “everybody is in the same storm, but we are all on very different boats.” Back in February of this year the Cambridge Chambers of Commerce published an article talking about the cost of doing business crisis. If you are a business owner, you will understand the urgency of making our businesses a success or developing new strategies to make sure that they survive in these difficult days. (https://www.cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk/ cambridge/cost-of-doing-business-crisis/) In a recent article* in The Independent, Dr Adrian James, Head of the Royal College of Psychologists said that the mental health of the nation faces a “threat of pandemic proportions” due to the deepening cost of living crisis.

Currently one in five British adults with a mental health difficulty have problem debt.

Depression and anxiety can affect anybody at any time and there are many factors that contribute to this and at this point it is also important to understand that this also applies the other way round. Work can sometimes be the reason people develop mental ill-health, thus starting a vicious cycle that can be exceedingly difficult to get out of. Depending on the length and severity of the illness, the knock-on effects can be catastrophic.

Credit: Money and mental health.org.

ABC Life Support have been commissioned by CHS (Cambridge Housing Society) in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council to help agencies such as the CAB, CPFT and others to understand the basics around Mental Health, Mental Ill-health and Mental Illness and the correlation between these and problem debt. Regarding the workplace, some of the agencies that may be useful to offer staff members could be: EAP – An Employee Assistance Program which offers the organisation access to phone lines and support for anything ranging from apps that help support wellbeing to practical advice around all aspects of one’s life. ACAS - https://www.acas.org.uk/ - Making working life better Acas gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules, and best practice. We also offer training and help to resolve disputes Citizens Advice - https://www.citizensadvice.org. uk/ - Citizens Advice is an independent organisation specialising in confidential information and advice to assist people with legal, debt, consumer, housing, and other problems in the United Kingdom.

Danielle Bridge, CEO, ABC Life Support CIC

____________________________________________________________ * https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/cost-of-living-crisis-mental-health-uk-b2104963.html