POOR mental health is increasingly a cause as well as the result of people struggling to manage their finances.

The Swindon Debt Centre, run by the charity Christians Against Poverty, warns that poor mental health and debt often go hand in hand.

Mind Your Money is today’s top tip on BBC Wiltshire’s Mental Wealth calendar, a month-long campaign backed by the Adver that offers a different daily activity aimed at boosting people’s mental health.

Geoff Naylor, CAP debt centre manager, said: “It’s difficult to know which comes first, the debt or the mental health, they both sort of add to one another, it’s all pressure on people.

"It’s definitely part of it and can often lead to debt.

“People struggling with mental health, with anxiety and depression, handling debt can seem overwhelming to them, from a relatively small amount to those who have got a fair amount coming in.

“They do tend to go hand in hand. If the underlying cause isn’t really addressed, it’s going to come round again. “The natural response is to bury your head in the sand a bit, but it doesn’t go away.

He added: “Debt doesn’t usually come on its own, it comes out of one issue or another, but it is increasingly the issue is mental health.”

The CAP Money Course is a money management course that teaches people budgeting skills and a simple, cash-based system to give people control of their finances, so they can save and prevent debt.

The charity offers free debt advice to people in their homes in Swindon and across the UK.

To speak to an advisor call the debt centre on Lagos Street, 0800 3280006.