Life Insurance For Mental Health Conditions

Did you know that having a Mental Health issue isn’t always a problem when you’re trying to find affordable Life Cover? It all depends on the details of your circumstances.

Can you get life insurance cover with a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety?

We have helped many people with a history of mental health conditions who are still eligible for life insurance.

In most cases we have encountered, coverage remains possible even for those who are currently managing mental health challenges.

This is why we believe you should talk to an expert like Chimat. We’re here to take the stress out of finding Life Insurance for mental health conditions and advise you on the most suitable policy.

Life Insurance For People With Mental Health Issues Starts From £6 per Month. Compare Quotes Today

Compare companies offering life insurance for people suffering from mental health problems

Amount of cover?*
First Name:*
Last Name:*
Date of Birth*
Day
Month
Year
Email*
Phone Number*
The price match promise means our team will find you the right cover for your unique circumstances at the lowest price possible. Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy

Chimat cover previously? Chimat can help you

Chimat has helped many people with different mental health issues to find suitable Life Insurance.

This is because we’re well placed to help people in this situation. We have personal experience of some of the key issues involved, and detailed knowledge of the Life Insurance market.

A new Life Insurance opportunity for people with Mental Health Issues

Life insurance after a suicide attempt

Previously, people who’d had a significant mental health event within the past five years (such as a suicide attempt, suicidal thoughts, self-harm, or inpatient treatment at a psychiatric ward) would find it especially difficult to find insurers willing to offer them Life Cover.

An application for Life Insurance would often be declined or postponed. In some cases, cover would be offered – but at an unaffordable price.

We now have a new Life Cover option available that’s been specifically designed for people who have had a significant mental health event in the last five years.

This new cover option is typically available at a more affordable price.

Do you qualify? Get a quote today to find out.

We work with you to try to find the most suitable result

We can’t promise to find cover for everyone who comes to us. However, you can be assured that your enquiry will be dealt with competently and confidentially.

How our experts help you find Life Cover

We understand that applying for Life Cover on your own can be stressful, especially for people with mental health issues.

Click To Compare Quotes

By working together, we do everything we can to make the process as easy as possible for you.

The first step is to discuss your situation with one of our friendly experts.
Our expert will then speak with insurance companies to find out if they can offer you Life Cover, and what premium they might charge.
We then discuss the results of our research with you. If you decide to apply, we’ll help you and handle the entire application process on your behalf.

pre-existing conditions life insurance from Chimat

Mental Health Issues and Life Cover – your questions answered

Is it difficult to get Life Insurance because of my mental health condition?

It depends on your circumstances. We have arranged Life Cover for people with mental health issues, including:

Stress
Anxiety
Panic attacks
PTSD
Depression
Clinical depression
Mood swings
Postnatal depression
Bipolar disorder
Schizophrenia

We can help you by searching for insurance companies that are willing to offer Life Cover for people with your condition.

Do insurers consider my mental health condition a pre-existing medical condition?

Yes, in most cases, a mental health condition is generally considered a pre-existing medical condition if it was diagnosed or treated before coverage begins.

Whether it affects coverage depends on the specific insurance policy and type. Please read our guide on how life insurance is affected by pre-existing conditions to learn more about this topic.

If I apply for life Cover, what sort of questions might I be asked?

As well as basic personal information (such as height and weight), you can expect to be asked for medical information about your physical health as well as your mental health.

You will be asked for information about specific diagnoses, symptoms and treatments. Also, you can expect to be asked whether or not you have ever attempted suicide and to provide a relevant date(s).

Other than the application form, what other medical information will the insurance company ask for?

It depends on the specifics of your situation. We will do our very best to determine what information will be required and keep you informed.

Click To Compare Quotes

The insurance company may wish to call you to ask a few questions. Often (though not always), the insurance company will want to write to your GP to ask them some questions about your health.

Will I be asked to attend a medical exam?

For most mental health issues, clients aren’t usually asked to attend a medical examination.

A medical exam can sometimes be requested for certain physical health conditions.

How does a previous suicide attempt affect life insurance applications?

Until recently, it would have purely depended on the specific details of your circumstances, such as how many suicide attempts there have been and how long ago they occurred.

Even today, this is the situation with most (but not all) insurers:

Where there has been one suicide attempt only, and it occurred more than five years ago, then you may still be offered life insurance (depending upon the other aspects of your health and situation).
If there has been one suicide attempt and it has been within the last five years, it will be more challenging to find an offer of Life Cover. The situation could become more favourable once five years have elapsed since the suicide attempt.
If there have been several suicide attempts, usually this will mean that it’s impossible to obtain Life Insurance. However, if the suicide attempts took place a reasonably long time ago and occurred around the same time, there may be an insurance company that is willing to regard these as one incident, and they might consider offering cover.

The good news is that not all insurers follow the criteria listed above. Chimat now has a new life insurance for mental health option that’s been specifically designed for people who have had a significant mental health event in the last five years.

This new cover option is typically available at a more affordable price.

Do you qualify? Get a mental health life insurance quote today to find out.

Can I get Critical Illness Cover or Income Protection if I now have (or previously had) a mental health issue?

It is often still possible to obtain these types of insurance cover.

For Critical Illness Cover, there may be a relatively minor exclusion for critical illness related to the mental health issue (there are not many illnesses excluded).
For Income Protection Cover, there would usually be a more significant exclusion for mental health conditions. This is because mental health issues account for a significant percentage of income protection insurance claims.

Case studies – how we have been able to help previous clients

Recent examples of where we have been able to obtain cover for clients with mental health issues include:

Medical history and background	Insurance outcome
31-year-old woman History of various mental health conditions. Had previously experienced depression and post-traumatic stress. Had made attempts at self-harming. She had, however, been largely free from symptoms of any mental health condition for the last five years. Also had a high BMI, which was also a consideration when finding appropriate insurance for her.	She was offered cover by two insurers. For £174,425 of cover over 19 years, she accepted a premium of £17.69 per month. The other insurer quoted her £19.40 per month.
26-year-old woman History of depression and other complications. First experienced depression around seven years earlier. Had made attempts at self-harm as recently as three years prior to the application, via various overdoses. Was under medical supervision for the condition until around 16 months prior to her application. Still typically took anti-depressants during the winter months.	She eventually took out life cover for £25,000 over five years, at a cost of £13.67 per month. Unfortunately, in this instance, it was not possible to find an insurer who would cover her for death related to her previous mental health issues, so the policy we recommended is one that pays out for death that is not related to a pre-existing medical condition. This may, however, only need to be a temporary solution, as one insurer indicated they could re-consider were another application to be made in six months’ time.
33-year-old woman Had experienced both OCD and depression. First diagnosed with depression at age 14. Was free from depression at the time of the application, but was still taking medication for it at the time of the application. Made a suicide attempt via an overdose four years prior to the application. Was also diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Order in her 20s, and the condition still exists to some extent.	The policy she took out was for £100,000 of life cover over 30 years. The premium is fairly high for the first two years, at £51.12 per month, but then reduces to £19.83 per month for the remaining 28 years.
50-year-old man History of depression and anxiety. Had experienced both depression and anxiety in the previous five years. There had been at least two episodes of mental illness, which led to him needing counselling and medication, and he was unable to work for a period of time.	He took out a policy for £100,000 over 20 years at a cost of £79.57 per month. This was a joint policy with his wife, and although the premium was fairly high, this was partially due to his wife’s medical history, which included an occurrence of breast cancer.

These cases illustrate that it can still be possible to obtain life insurance where:

Clients have had more than one episode of anxiety or depression
Clients were still taking medication at the time of the application
Clients had attempted suicide in the years before the application

We’ve got the expertise to help you find the most suitable cover

Chimat promises to be sensitive to the individual needs of clients with mental health issues, and we promise to treat all our clients compassionately.

We offer our clients a choice of communication options, and many clients with mental health issues feel more comfortable doing everything via email.

In the UK, insurance companies cannot discriminate against people with mental health conditions.

However, they may decline coverage or increase your premiums if they deem you to be a higher insurance risk.

Not all insurers will reach the same decision. There can be significant differences in their premiums, too.

Chimat regularly searches the Life Insurance marketplace on behalf of clients who have (or previously had) mental health issues.

This means we can stay up to date with the latest changes from the insurers.

Already got Life Cover? Think you’re paying too much for it?

If you already have cover in place but arranged it several years ago, it could be a good idea to talk to the Chimat team. We might be able to find a more suitable deal for you.

External resources:

Paul Richards( Lead Consultant At Chimat Life )

Paul has over 12 years of life insurance expertise. Renowned for his dedication and approachable nature, he’s a trusted advisor committed to helping clients secure their future.