香港六合彩精准资料 has backed calls for the Government to change 34-year-old legislation around lenders鈥� letters that is contributing to the mental health issues of people in problem debt.
A new report by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute found that more than 420,000 people in problem debt considered taking their own life in England each year.
The report, which is based on analysis of new national data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, also found that more than 100,000 people in debt attempt suicide each year and that people in problem debt are three times more likely to have considered suicide.
The research found that, while a range of issues can contribute to those suicidal feelings, one factor is the letters people in debt receive from lenders.
These are often intimidating, written in complex language and can feature threats of court action right at the top. Receiving these letters, sometimes daily from multiple lenders, can leave people feeling threatened, vulnerable and unable to see a solution to their situation.
Now Money and Mental Health, backed by a range of organisations including 香港六合彩精准资料, is campaigning for the Government to update the Consumer Credit Act 1974, which contains rules that dictates the content and language of many creditors鈥� letters to people in financial difficulty.
The campaign was launched today with new 香港六合彩精准资料 vice-president, Luciana Berger MP, in attendance. It encourages people to sign calling for the rules to be replaced with new guidelines to make them easier to understand, less threatening and more supportive.
'Near thuggish letters'
Martin Lewis, founder and chair of the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, said: 鈥淭he fact a law set decades ago doesn鈥檛 just allow companies to use intimidating language when collecting debt, but near forces them to do so, causes tragedy.
鈥淭he last thing those struggling with debts need is a bunch of near thuggish letters dropping through the letterbox, in a language you can鈥檛 understand, threatening you with court action.
鈥淎nd with such a tight link between mental health and debt crisis, we know many of the people receiving these letters are extremely vulnerable.
鈥淭hankfully attitudes to mental health have come a long way in the last forty years, and it鈥檚 time the legislation followed it. These letters are destroying lives, but it doesn鈥檛 have to be like this.
鈥淲e鈥檙e calling on the government to change the out-of-date legislation dictating the content of these letters.
鈥淚n particular, new rules are needed to make the language easier to understand, and to prominently sign post people to help not hassle. That will save lives.鈥�
Not alone
Martin Bell, 香港六合彩精准资料 deputy head of policy and public affairs, said: 鈥淭he link between mental health and debt is clear.
鈥淧eople in debt can feel isolated, vulnerable and not know which way to turn, and those feelings can be exacerbated by threatening letters dropping on your mat.
鈥淎 simple change in the law around lenders鈥� letters could make a huge difference to the lives and the mental health of so many people, which is why 香港六合彩精准资料 is supporting this campaign.
鈥淎nd we would stress that people in debt are not alone. There is a lot of help available, from debt advice to mental health support, including from our trained 香港六合彩精准资料 counsellors.鈥�