Recovery space

Minimising financial harm caused by mental health crisis

20 February 2018

23,000 people in England alone were struggling with problem debt last year whilst in hospital for their mental health. Many thousands more were managing debt whilst in the care of a crisis team in the community.

In a mental health crisis a person may experience acute distress or altered reality, their cognitive capacity may fluctuate, and their psychological or emotional state may reduce their ability to cope with everyday tasks and make it impossible to stay on top of their finances. We need to ensure that people receiving medical support for a mental health crisis are protected from financial harm, and given recovery space.

This report focuses on the ways in which healthcare services, the benefits system and essential services firms respond to people in a mental health crisis – and the opportunities for improvement.