Mental health charities join forces to demand action on cost of living crisis

The effect of the cost-of-living crisis on people’s mental health will undoubtedly not show its full impact until the rise in energy bills comes just as winter approaches. Much has been said about people’s physical health, especially the elderly, due to cold homes, but now mental health charities Mind and Samaritans are leading the charge to call on our current and future Prime Minister to address the impact that the crisis will have on mental health.

Written by Bryony Porteous-Sebouhian

Samaritans receive 12,000 calls for financial and employment and concerns in July alone

In the last week a letter from mental health charities, Samaritans and Mind and 15 other charities and organisations including Centre for Mental Health, Mental Health Foundation and Royal College of Psychiatrists has been sent to the UK government.

The CEOs and Presidents of the charities and organisations begin the letter bringing attention to the fact that despite the cost of living crisis and possible recession has been getting ‘significant attention’, the government has not thus far addressed the risk posed to the nation’s mental health.

Quoting relevant figures from some of the charities involved the letter states that:

• Samaritans have received 12,000 contacts regarding support for finances and unemployment concerns.
• Mind’s Infoline has seen a 30% rise in comparison to last year in calls relating to finances.
• Charity for the mental health of teens and young people, YoungMinds track patterns in the experiences of young people’s mental health and have reported that ‘worries about money’ have been at the top of concerns for the first time ever this year.

‘A squeeze on living standards, unmanageable debt and economic recessions cause a rise in mental health problems’

The charities and organisations involved emphasise that this is not the first time this has happened and that the government must learn from the past to implement help and support now, if we are to avoid a rise in suicides, mental health problems and demand on already stretched mental health services.

‘We have the opportunity to learn from the past and address how to support people’s wellbeing to avoid repeating history.’

Reflecting on the fact that the nation’s mental health services have already been experiencing sustained demand, especially since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the charities and organisations involved in the letter are demanding that ‘Interventions must be put in place now, both for the immediate and long-term future.’

‘With over 1.5 million people currently on a waiting list, the cost of living crisis could put our entire mental health system on the brink of collapse.’

The letter also highlights the need for approaches and interventions that respond to the already existing inequalities and barriers that marginalised communities experience when accessing mental health services, with a particular focus on those with low incomes who ‘are most at risk of experiencing mental health problems and are at higher suicide risk’.

The letter ends urging the government to take the first step, emphasising that charities, private and voluntary organisations cannot do the work alone, and the work to address this issue should in fact be done in close collaboration between government and their sector.

You can find the full letter and list of contributors here.