Insolvency Practitioner Launches Campaign to Reduce Toll of Debt-Related Suicides and Mental Illness

A nationwide initiative that promises to reduce the toll of debt-related suicides and mental illness is being launched by a senior insolvency practitioner with offices in Cheshire and Lancashire.

Ian Williamson, a senior partner with Campbell, Crossley and Davis of Northwich and Blackpool, is urging fellow professionals to acquire basic training in mental health “first aid” so they are able to recognise the signs of serious illness among their clients

“Clients faced with serious debt problems frequently have underlying mental health problems that can go unnoticed and untreated because we are not trained to recognise the tell-tale signs,” he said.

The campaign was welcomed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and has the support of the local mental health Trust, the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) and Wealden, Eastbourne and Lewes Mind who introduced the Mental Health First Aid programme to the UK.

“In many cases our clients get in to debt because of mental health issues and others develop mental illnesses as a result of their debts. It is important that as professionals we have a basic understanding of these issues,” he said.

“Insolvency practitioners and others working in this field need to have sufficient knowledge to be able to recognise when a client requires mental health treatment and know how best to direct them to the medical professional who can provide that help.

“Most insolvency practitioners will at some time have dealt with clients who have been genuinely suicidal as a result of their debt problems so, in that sense, having basic training in mental health first aid could save someone’s life.”

Avril Devaney, CWP Director of Nursing and Patient Partnership, says: “One in four people will experience problems with their mental health at some point during their lives. It is important we continue to raise awareness of mental health issues and feel it is essential that professionals are provided with awareness training, information that is accessible, and support is given to patients, families and carers to improve access to healthcare.”

Mr Williamson now plans to contact fellow insolvency practitioners nationwide urging them to take advantage of the Mental Health First Aid one and two-day training schemes offered by health authorities around the UK.

Chris Fitch , a Research Fellow at the Royal College , and an expert in the links between debt and mental health, welcomed the campaign now being spearheaded by Ian Williamson to encourage insolvency practitioners – or a nominated individual within a practice - to take advantage of the Mental Health First Aid training courses.

In his recently published pocket book, Final Demand, funded by the Financial Services Authority, Chris Fitch stresses that health professionals “should consider debt as an underlying cause in stress-related illness and ask simple questions about debt in routine assessment.”

He contends that one in two British adults with personal debts are potentially also living with mental health problems and it was clearly crucial that insolvency practitioners should have an understanding of the problems and be equipped to direct clients to professional who could help them.

He said: “Research indicates that individuals with personal debt s are twice as likely to develop a mental health problems than those without debt problems.

“Having worked with hundreds of people affected by debt and mental health, this initiative will help finance professionals more effectively to support such individuals. Critically, it does not seek to turn insolvency experts into doctors, but aims to bring about small changes in practice that can have a very large impact indeed.”

Sharon McIntosh, a Mental Health First Aid training coordinator with Wealden, Eastbourne and Lewes Mind, said: “We support any initiative to educate and train people from diverse professions in the fundamentals of mental health.

“Mental Health First Aid training teaches people how to recognise the symptoms of mental health problems, how to support and provide initial help and how to guide a person towards appropriate professional help.”