Debt and stress are inextricably linked.

Stress, anxiety and depression are commonplace amongst people who face serious debt problems. As the number of people in serious debt in the UK rises, doctors are seeing more and more cases of debt related stress, depression and anxiety caused by money problems.

Dr Roger Henderson named this condition as Money Sickness Syndrome. (MSS). MSS is a condition whereby stress and anxiety are caused by lack of control over debts, along with not enough understanding about personal finance issues.

Dr Henderson, (who conducted a study with AXA) found that almost half of the people in the UK have experienced symptoms of MSS, and 3.8 million people say that money worries have meant they have needed to take time off work.

Symptoms of MSS include palpitations, shortness of breath, headaches, tightness in the stomach, nausea, diarrhoea, indigestion, lack of appetite and disrupted sleep pattern.

On top of these physical symptoms, MSS can also lead to psychological symptoms including irritability and mood swings, nervousness, lack of concentration and forgetfulness, poor judgment making and negative thoughts.

Coping with debt related stress

Understand your options

One of the most common reasons for this kind of stress and anxiety is a lack of understanding of the options that are available. If people can find out what can and cannot be done about the situation they will instantly feel more in control. See related article (link to IVA) article for practical answers to debt problems

Concentrating on relaxing

Although people don't always see it as such, relaxing is a skill and sometimes needs to be learned. For many people suffering from stress, depression or anxiety, relaxation or meditation allows them to calm down and see the problem from a more balanced perspective. Relaxation techniques such as deep-breathing (especially for people with panic disorder), progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation are all options for coping better with stress.

Speak to a counsellor

It's vital during this worrying time that people don't bottle up their stress. Speaking to a counsellor can give people a number of ways to deal more calmly and rationally with their problems, which can not only help calm people down, but can also put them in a much better state of mind to be able to deal with the problem at hand.