Sarah Jayne Dunn

Analysis of polling from research company YouGov suggests around 665,148 of people in Scotland have seen their mental health and wellbeing affected by debt.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is launching “Stressed about Debt?” today. The campaign encourages people who are worried about their bills or stressed about debt to seek advice from the Citizens Advice network.

People can go to www.cas.org.uk/stressed and pick an advice route that works for them, such as online self-help tools, online advice pages or one to one advice from their local CAB.

The CAB Service helps improve people’s financial situation and for some this includes debt write-off. Since last spring CABs have helped write off over £11 million worth of debt, with the average amount written off being over £12,600 per client.

CAS financial health spokesperson, Sarah Jayne Dunn, said: “There is a clear link between money and mental health and that will have been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis.

“Hundreds of thousands of people across the country, through no fault of their own have fallen behind on bills and find themselves in debt. Some people will be in debt for the first time, others will have seen their existing debt get worse.

“There’s no shame in having debt, and it’s completely understandable to be stressed and anxious about it. For many people, debt is something they ignore until it builds up and becomes overwhelming.

“That’s why we’ve launched the Stressed about Debt campaign, to encourage people who are worried to seek advice and not let those worries build up until they are suffocating. You don’t need to go to a CAB to get advice, instead you can check our online advice pages or use our interactive self-help tools.”

She added: “Our network gets real results for people – last year people who saw a gain having sought advice were more than £3,700 better off. Our advice is impartial, confidential, and crucially free – we don’t charge for our advice, and we never will.”

Scottish Government housing minister Paul McLennan MSP, commented: “I welcome this important and timely campaign from Citizens Advice Scotland. Advice services play a critical role in helping people to navigate the current cost crisis and to access the support and information they need. The cost-of-living crisis is putting a huge strain on households which is why the Scottish Government is doing all it can to deliver support.

“This year we will invest over £12.5 million in a range of advice services providing free income maximisation, welfare and debt advice. This includes more than £4.45 million to Citizens Advice Scotland and the network of Bureaux for the Money Talk Team, which offers free confidential and holistic advice. Access to free, confidential and impartial advice through the CAB network, either online or in person, can make a massive difference for people.”

Alex Cumming, executive director of Operations at SAMH (Scottish Action for Mental Health), said: “Poor mental health can be a factor in building up debt, and debt can result in mental health problems, including stress and anxiety. Debt and mental health problems often form a vicious circle, and it’s important to seek help for both.

“At SAMH, we hear time and again from the people we support, including those who contact our information service, that they are experiencing issues with money at the same time as needing help with their mental health.

“We welcome Citizens Advice Scotland’s campaign and encourage anyone who is stressed about debt to take that first step towards getting the support they need.”