Debt Toll

In the age of credit cards and easy loans, financial ruin is common enough. But did you know that even a moderate debt can leave you physically ill, with hypertension, eating disorders and other maladies?

Lynnae Brown knows debt: The 40-year-old market research tracker in New York owes more than 100,000 in student loans and 5,000 on her credit cards. She knows the toll it can take on her mental health: 8220;Until recently, the debt was the physical manifestation of my worth, or lack thereof.8221;

Financial worries may cause a person to be 8220;run-down, have more colds, migraines and headaches, and their current medical conditions may get worse,8221; said Elizabeth Carll, a New York-based stress and trauma psychologist.

A 2006 survey conducted by the American Psychological Association found that money is a 8220;top source of stress for adults8221;. The stress created by accumulation of debt can become unbearable, experts say. Maxed Out, a documentary about credit woes released this year, includes the story of Yvonne Pavey, a 59-year-old Indiana wife and mother who police believe drowned herself in 2004 rather than face bill collectors and humiliation before family members.

In Northern California, Ramona Dickerson, a 40-year-old single mother said financial stress exacerbates her other worries and spurs unhealthy behavior: 8220;I will eat too much or won8217;t work out. I8217;ll either go to sleep or I8217;ll eat something I shouldn8217;t eat,8221; said Dickerson, whose debt includes student loans and two mortgages.

Former financial news reporter Lynnette Khalfani, who wrote a series of books titled Zero Debt after paying off 100,000 in credit card debt, said such accounts demonstrate that 8220;debt takes its toll on people in many different ways including enormous social, relationship and health implications for people8230; For millions of people, financial worries and debt in particular are one of their biggest points of stress in their life.8221;

Psychologists and psychiatrists can attest to that. 8220;I see a lot of people with various kinds of life events that are quite stressful and invariably intertwined with this is a financial aspect,8221; Carll said. 8220;If you feel you8217;re not paying your bills and have collection agencies calling all the time, you8217;re going to feel out of control. It sets up a worry about the future.8221;

Said Michael McKee, a psychologist at the Cleveland Clinic whose clients include those with debt-related issues: 8220;Clearly when you8217;ve got a bunch of credit cards and you feel you can8217;t keep your head above water, that8217;s obviously very stressful.8221;

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8220;For most people,8221; he said, the cycle of debt 8220;goes on and on as they borrow from one place to try to pay another8230; or spend more to try to make themselves feel better.8221;

Still, research that links debt to depression and anxiety is scant. One possible reason, according to former University of Pennsylvania researcher Adair Crosley: Few longitudinal studies have good measures of debt. Another problem, McKee said, is that only in recent years has the relationship between stress and physical health gained respect as a topic of study.

A 2001 study published in the British Journal of Psychology found that drinking, smoking and obesity were associated with debt.

A study published in Social Science 038; Medicine in 2001 found that debt has a 8220;central place in the association between8221; financial concerns and depression among mothers.

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A 2004 study published in the Journal of Further and Higher Education found that students with more financial worries reported feeling more tense, nervous and anxious and had great trouble sleeping.

Kelly McGonigal, a psychologist at Stanford University who studies stress, says debt causes a 8220;lingering feeling that something bad is going to happen to you. It can lead to catastrophising, worsening a situation by imagining bad outcomes.

Symptoms of psychological stress may range from headaches and stomachaches to aggravation of conditions like hypertension, immune disorders and cardiovascular disease, McKee said. Sleep disruption, eating disorders and anxiety and depression may also develop, along with reduced performance at work or school and relationship problems with family or friends.

8220;The issue of feeling out of control is probably the single most universal stressor,8221; said David Baron, chairman of the department of psychiatry at the Temple University School of Medicine. It8217;s that feeling people get when the hot water heater dies, the car needs a new engine and medical bills need to be paid, all at the same time, he said. 8220;The key to understanding and dealing with stress and finances is sitting down and identifying what are your thoughts and feelings and concerns, and what can you do about it.8221;