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More people are considering taking their own lives because of debt problems, research has found.
Debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty asked 1,500 clients how they felt before receiving help for their debt problems.
Forty per cent admitted they had either considered or attempted killing themselves.
The charity revealed the results on World Suicide Prevention Day today to highlight the pressure on people caught up in financial difficulty.
CAP's Chief Executive Matt Barlow said: “Significant changes in circumstance can trap people into debt – job loss, illness and relationship breakdown are common ones – but these are emotional issues as well as financial and can lead to feelings of deep despair as the debt spirals and life becomes unbearable.
“Most worryingly, the number of new clients who have told us they were feeling suicidal has risen by three per cent in a single year.
“This gives us new determination to get our message out: We want those who feel they have reached rock bottom to know they are not on their own and that recovery is possible. We know that because we see people come back from their darkest moments every day.”
Clients include one unnamed mother-of-two from Nottingham, who struggled with debts after a marriage breakdown.
“I got depressed because of a lot of things, the debts and the feeling that I’d let my sons down," she said.
“Everything was in such a mess. You feel guilty which leads to depression. The doctor put me on medication and one night, I tried to commit suicide.”
CAP helped her to draw up a budget and pay off the debt she owes.
“It’s wonderful now. Each day I feel I’m blessed for another day," she said.
"I used to be a downtrodden woman and now I’m a woman who is out and about, always helping everyone else."
On the web: www.capdebthelp.org
My Comment:
It seems that in our atheistic society, many believe that they are in control of their own lives and don't need God's help. Then when they fail, it seems that they despair and want out of their lives. But taking your own life is a sin and a soul could end up in hell if they commit suicide. The real answer to life's struggles is to trust in Divine Providence and accept the state of life that you find yourself in. "Blessed are the poor," Jesus said. We can be poor and still be joyful. How? By possessing God in our hearts and loving Him with all our being and loving our neighbors too. Being poor or in debt does not stop us from trying to live the Gospel and be holy as Our Father in heaven is holy. Volunteering to help other poor people will help us too. It will give meaning to our lives. There's soup kitchens and food pantry's, there's shelters and camps, there's prisons and hospitals. All need volunteers to assist them in their care for the poor. Recently, I heard of a man who was paroled from prison but could not be released because he had no place to go and no one to take him in. I understand there are many like that in prison, free but not free! Imagine how poor they are! They don't even have a place to lay their head! So there is no reason that someone should take his or her's own life because they are poor or in debt. There is always someone who is poorer than us!
Peace+
Deacon John
