ICR190: Tasneem Clarke, Money and Mental Health

My guest on the podcast today is Tasneem Clarke, Research Officer at the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute.

This is a really important conversation, and here's why. People with mental health problems are three times as likely to be in problem debt. The Money and Mental Health Institute was created to change that.

They are an independent charity, committed to breaking the link between financial difficulty and mental health problems. To do this, Money and Mental Health conduct research, develop practical policy solutions and work in partnership with both those providing services and those using them to find what really works.

The charity was launched last year by MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, who funded it with a donation of two million pounds.

My guest from Money and Mental Health is Research Officer Tasneem Clarke. Tasneem is a social worker currently practising in a mental health crisis team. She has previous experience conducting research for policy and campaigns work in various organisations including Oxfam, Earthrights International, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

In this episode of Informed Choice Radio, I speak to Tasneem about the link between money problems and mental health problems, why people fail to seek help when they need it, how different mental health issues make it harder to deal with personal finances, the impact of austerity on vulnerable members of society, gaps in the public health system when it comes to helping those with mental health and money problems, what the regulator and others are doing about the issue, and much more.

Welcome to Money & Mental Health with Tasneem Clarke, in episode 190 of Informed Choice Radio.

 

Some questions I ask:

-What's the relationship between mental health problems and money troubles? Does one cause the other?

-Does a failure to talk about money contribute to these issues?

-How can mental health problems affect the way we make important financial decisions?

-What impact is austerity having on services for the most vulnerable in society?

-Are there any particular gaps in our health system when it comes to mental health and money problems?

-Is the Financial Conduct Authority doing enough?

-What steps could the banks take to improve their services for people with mental health problems?

-Where can people turn for help in times of a mental health and money crisis?

 

Thank you for listening!

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