Debt & Mental Health Evidence Form

Are you living with mental health problems that are making it difficult for you to deal with your debts? If so, you may have heard about something called the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form. You may also have seen it shortened to DMHEF.

So what is this form, and could it help you? Let’s take a look.

What is the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form?

No surprises here – the DMHEF is a form used to provide evidence of your mental health problems. In particular, the form looks for evidence of how these problems affect your ability to deal with your debts. The form must be completed by a professional. This might be a doctor, nurse, social worker or therapist. The form must then be sent to the people you owe money to. You can find the form on the Money Advice Trust website.

What is the form for?

If you owe someone money, it may help you if they know about any health problems you’re having, including mental health. Once they know about these, they can adjust the way they deal with you, and with the money you owe them. They may do this by:

• Giving you more time to make repayments
• Freezing interest and charges
• In some cases, writing off some or all of your debt.

Do I need a DMHEF?

Getting the DMHEF completed can take a little time, so it’s not a good idea to do it unless you’re sure you need to. And if you’re dealing with your debts yourself, you may not need a DMHEF. Some lenders may be happy to take account of your mental health problems without requiring you to send in a DMHEF. So you may simply be able to tell your lenders that you have a mental health problem that makes this especially difficult for you. The Money and Mental Health Policy Institute says “Many firms have got a lot better at having conversations with customers about their mental health, and can gather all the information they need in this way.”

But you will need to get a DMHEF if someone has asked you to get one. This might be one or more of your lenders. Or it might be a debt advice provider. They will usually give you some advice on how to have the form completed. The information in this blog is just here to give you an idea of what to expect.

How do I complete the DMHEF?

The short answer is – you don’t! The only details you have to put on the form yourself are your name, address and date of birth. The rest should be completed by a health or social care professional. This should be someone who understands your mental health problem(s), and how this makes it more difficult for you to manage your money and/or to communicate with your lender(s). The form suggests that this professional could be a:

• Social worker
• Mental health nurse
• GP
• Psychiatrist
• Psychologist
• Occupational therapist or mental health therapist.

Whoever you ask, you’ll need to provide them with:

• The form
• A consent form. This says that you’re happy for them to share this medical information with your lender(s) and/or debt advice provider
• A stamped, self-addressed envelope so they can return the form to you.

Will they charge me for completing the DMHEF?

In the past, some doctors and other professionals have charged a fee for completing the Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form. But following a campaign against these fees, the British Medical Association agreed to stop GPs charging for this form in England. This means most other healthcare professionals in England should complete the form for free, too. But if the person you’ve asked to complete your form does ask you to pay a fee, explain that:

• Having this form completed is important for your mental health
• The reason you need the form is that you’re having trouble with money, so you would find it hard to pay a fee.

Can I send the DMHEF to more than one lender?

If you’re getting help from a debt advice provider, they will advise you on where to send the DMHEF and who to send it to you. But if you’re dealing with this yourself and only one of your lenders has asked you for the DMHEF, you can still send it to your other lenders if you want to. Just make some copies of the form once it’s been completed. If you’ve completed the ‘creditor’ section of the form for your first lender (see image below), just cover or black out these details before you make copies.

If you’re sending the DMHEF to lenders who haven’t specifically asked for it, include a cover letter briefly explaining why you’re sending the DMHEF. This letter should include:

• Your name
• Your reference number with that lender
• The reason you’re sending the DMHEF
• Anything else you want the lender to know.

Do I need debt advice?

If you get specialist debt advice, you may not need to do things like writing cover letters and sending out the DMHEF out to lenders yourself. Your debt advice provider will often do this for you.

Dealing with money worries on your own can be difficult and stressful for anyone. But we know how much harder it can be when you’re also dealing with mental health problems. That’s why we have a whole team of experts dedicated to helping people who need this sort of extra support to deal with their debts.

Our team can deal with lenders for you. What happens next depends on your circumstances and on the lenders themselves, but although nothing is guaranteed your lenders may agree to stop chasing you for your debts, either temporarily or indefinitely.

Are you struggling to deal with your finances because of mental health problems or for any other reason? Remember you’re not alone. Take a look at our debt solutions page to find out how we could help.