In Debt And Suicidal

I was thinking of saying "no, it's not me who's in debt and suicidal" but I changed my mind. It doesn't matter who it is, the point is, the thought of killing oneself over tons of debt comes and goes. I know that an event or a person can trigger the the suicidal thoughts. Sometimes it doesn't have a precursor. It just comes.

And when one is at the end of his ropes, he's beyond who's to blame for this situation, he doesn't want to hear that it's his fault.

I was almost hesitant to reply to this post as you did not ask any questions, but I know what you mean by people in trouble not needing to blamed for what's happened, as it might push them over the edge.

There are articles in the paper about the suicide rates because of debt; that some people are blaming the credit card culture and its irresponsible advertising and entrapment practices- for the ever growing number of people who can't climb out of debt and its possible contribution to the increase in the suicide rate.

Debt really has a strong psychological impact on an individual's life as well as that of the society. It makes you wonder how it can be addressed on both the individual level and the national level...

Have you seen that Oprah episode with Suze Orman and the wife of a man who's committed suicide because of debt? Apparently the wife did not know or had no idea how far in debt her husband was before the suicide. She was left with all the liabilities including their children.

You'd just wonder why he kept it all from her.

Would anybody know if a study has been done yet on the relationship of debt and suicide?

If you ask the question why can't they just ask for help, when there is plenty of help around? The answer maybe is that, when a person is suffering from depression, his/her brain does not anymore function normally, meaning he/she does not process or is unable to rationally think things over. As ohnotheydidnt said, the suicidal thought comes and goes, you'd never know the exact moment or the exact situation that would push the tendency, over to its final course. Psychologists said that the "stressor" or the trigger of the attempt could be anything from death of a loved one, job loss, divorce...

It's become apparent that- before debt becomes a psychological issue for the consumer, wherein it maybe is too late for anybody to reason with him/her, he/she should already seek the help of a debt/financial expert to begin to tackle one of the major sources of the problem: debt.

Here's what I can tell you. It's overwhelming. It makes one feel numb and apathetic. It gets you to the point of no return as they say. You think to yourself so what if the police comes after me. I'll be dead anyway. So what if I get laughed at because of my situation. So what if they lose all respect toward me. Nothing matters anymore. There's no hope. End game.

Hi ohnotheydidnt, I can empathize with what you're saying. Some people have felt the same sense of desperation over issues all together different from debt--you know, love life, medical problems, alcohol & drug abuse,etc. But I think the same principle applies to most crisis: prevention is better than cure.

I think before a person becomes suicidal, he/she gives off tell tale signs or symptoms. If there are loved ones present, that would be easy, he/she would be reminded or be noticed. But what if the person is alone? I think that he/she should seek help no matter how embarrassing it is to take the first step.

There are a bunch of credit counseling and debt help groups that have sprung due to the financial crisis. I think if one finds himself/herself in that situation, he/she should avail of the free counseling sessions.

We all need to realize that being in a lot of debt doesn't have to end in suicide. It is sad that there are some cases where people have taken their lives because of pressure and anxiety that debt has caused. It is not at all a fitting resort to get out of their problems. In fact some people may think that committing suicide would be the "best," that their families would be better off if they were gone, but more often than not their families go thru much worse.

Right, and just to add to what Lallypop said, a study conducted by the American Institute of Suicidology states that one suicide has a direct impact on the lives of six other people.

It's really important for us to also consider that we should not let debt control the way we live our lives. In other words, you should control the debt, and not let debt control you.

It's also possible for a person to be in debt --and also suicidal for a host of other reasons right? I think it's important to separate the two..it's more manageable that way, especially if debt is just a trigger for the suicidal tendency..

would anybody know where to find the suicide rate (site, book, article, etc.) of people in debt? or the statistics with regards to debt-driven suicides (death and attempts)?

i am aware that it's starting to be a global trend..but i want to know for sure..thanks.