In all the technical discussions you hear about credit card and other debt, the best ways to manage it and pay it off and all the rest, one important topic goes largely ignored ? "Debt Stress: the Human Side".

Most individuals already know from personal experience that high credit card debt is bad for their financial health - the more people worried about debt, the more it affected their health.

New medical research in the United States indicates that there is a strong co-relation between high levels of debt and bad or impaired physical and mental health. According to the study, people who reported high levels of stress about debt had more physical problems and reported worse health than those with lower levels of debt. Furthermore, people with a high proportion of their income tied up in credit card and other debt reported that they were in poorer physical health.

More recently an annual survey of student mental health carried out in some British universities indicated that more students than ever are seeking help for depression brought on by "Debt Stress".

The jury is in - Credit card and other debts are extremely stressful and can have a very negative effect on your life and health. It's as bad as an addiction, always hanging over you, bringing you down, making it hard to life your life the way you want to. In effect, the more people worried about debt, the more it affected their health.

The Symptoms of Debt Stress - There are an awful lot of symptoms that can be evidence of debt stress. Some of the most common ones are: headaches, not being able to sleep, feeling depressed and irritable, and being forgetful and unable to concentrate on what you're doing. If you're not sure whether your symptoms are related to stress or something else, you should go and see a doctor.

Who Gets It? - Almost everyone who has debts is stressed about them. Debt is blamed for millions of days off work every year, and is one of the leading causes of suicide ? it seems like most times you read about someone who has committed suicide, their name is followed by "who owed [a very large amount] in debts". Students and graduates are especially vulnerable, as debt is growing amongst them faster than in any other group.

The average adult owes many thousands in debts ? and since that's the average, it means that many people must owe much more. Always remember that you're not alone, and there's always someone worse off than you.

How to Deal With It - Stress caused by debts is often considered to be embarrassing, or shameful. People with lots of debts don't want to talk about it, even with their family, for fear of upsetting people or looking like a failure. It is very important, though, that you do talk about your problems, as keeping it all bottled up inside yourself will make you much, much more stressed. It is especially important that you talk to your partner ? the number one person who can support you.

The best thing to do then is to find two people: one who can advise you, and one who can be a counsellor. That means a professional who knows what they're doing in financial matters, as well as a psychologist or psychiatrist, or some other kind of counsellor. Don't let stigmas put you off ? this is about your health.

The next thing to do is to have a good think about how you got that debt to begin with. See if you can find old credit card statements. What did you spend the money on? You need to sit down, work out a budget, cut unnecessary expenses and try to free up as much money as you can to pay back debts. Even if it'll be a long time before you get everything paid off, knowing that your debt is gradually going downwards can be an excellent cure for debt stress.

Stephen S Alison is a retired "bean counter" who spent 26 years in middle management positions for major US financial institutions in Europe and a further 10 years as an adviser/consultant to a number of European financial institutions. He owns and operates a number of "hand built" niche websites including: http://www.24carat-gold.com http://www.forex-arbitrage.com

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