By Dr. Hana Patel, NHS GP & Medico-Legal Expert Witness.
Financial and money worries are often reasons that patients consult with me, as, this can impact on our mental health. Sadly with the increased cost-of-living pressures, I am seeing first hand with patients how this can lead to more financial stress. Having mental health issues can impact on our ability to manage finances and money also. For example, some people may find it overwhelming to open letters, and bills. For others it may be that their mental health condition stops them from wanting to go out and socialise with others, meaning that they may be at home alone, being unable to go to work, or unable to look for work if they’re unemployed. There are also specific mental health conditions related to money and finance, that may cause people to feel stressed, worried or anxious due to financial anxiety. This may lead to changes in mood or feeling depressed about money. Often our self-esteem can be linked to our finances and may lead to lower self-esteem, or feelings of guilt or shame if you feel that you are not earning enough or are currently not at work. I often have patients tell me that they have sleep problems due to staying up with worry or anxiety about their finances. I wanted to write about next steps for people who may be feeling worried or low about their finances and money issues, and empower them to try and seek help or advice and to try and talk about what is going on with a trusted family member or friend. If you prefer to speak to someone confidentially, there are NHS services available online and through your GP, such as talking therapies. There are also charities such as MIND that may also have support and advice related to this, and locally the Citizen’s Advice Bureau for specific legal advice. I also reassure patients that it is normal to worry about things that happen in our lives. However if this worry starts to take over and impacts on our mood, sleep, eating, and enjoyment of things, then it may be time to seek advice from your GP to discuss things further. Some people find it helpful to have specific time allocated in the day to ‘worry’ about things, then to manage and limit it, so it does not spread into the rest of the day, so that they can enjoy things, and try and focus on what needs to be done. It may also be a way of being kind to yourself, to try mindfulness breathing or techniques to try and build in exercise for example, to try and help you feel better about yourself and improve your mental health.
Visit Dr Hana Patel’s profile and learn more about her practice at https://www.topdoctors.co.uk/doctor/hana-patel
