“Charity highlights link between debt and mental health problems”

By: Priscilla - May 15th 2013

Last year 5,000 people suffering from financial problems coupled with either anxiety or depression contacted StepChange

Figures from StepChange charity emphasise the link between debt and mental health problems. Photograph: Alamy

A charity has highlighted the extent to which debt affects mental healthby revealing that last year it spoke to an average of 5,000 people a month who were suffering from financial problems coupled with either anxiety or depression.

 

StepChange, a debt charity, said that it uses an online counselling tool to determine which people contacting it might be suffering from anxiety or depression. Of those who were, almost 60% were identified as suffering with severe anxiety or depression, a further 27% had moderate anxiety or depression and 13% mild anxiety or depression.

 

“These figures emphasise the link between debt and mental health problems” said the charity’s director of external affairs, Delroy Corinaldi. “Combined together, these issues can have a debilitating effect on people’s lives.”