Debtors get online treatment for mental health problems

With recent scrutiny on the link between debt and mental health issues, indebted Britons are now being offered a free treatment online to test for depression and anxiety.

Created by the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS), working with the Centre for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University (ANU), the new service will automatically screen people undergoing online debt counselling for signs of mental health issues.

Where mental health issues are detected, the Debt Remedy counselling tool will offer further diagnosis and advice.

Recent studies have shown that between 50 and 90 per cent of people in debt are anxious or depressed, and are twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts.

A survey by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, released this month, of 1,270 debt collections staff found that every 30 seconds a customer will disclose a mental health problem.

As part of their online counselling session, Debt Remedy users will be asked four trigger questions that will refer users to a 16-question diagnostic test. Based on these answers, people with mild depression or anxiety will be able to proceed to free online cognitive behavioural therapy (e-couch). More severe cases will be advised to contact their GPs.

According to CCCS, e-couch is the newest and most comprehensive program from the Centre for Mental Health Research.

CCCS Chairman Malcolm Hurlston said the online service would “bring light and hope to people in the tunnel of debt and depression”.

He added: “This world leading development comes at a crucial time as the recent consultation on mental capacity from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) puts pressure on banks to deal carefully with mental health issues.”

Source: debtmanagementtoday.co.uk