Samaritan calls pushed up as a direct effect of
the credit crunch
The Samaritans say the stress of the current economic crisis has resulted in a sharp rise in calls to its service. Its branch in Central London had an extra 1,000 calls during August and September this year - 25% more than in the same months last year.
Terrence Collis from Samaritans said: "We have had an increase in the number of calls that we are having. It would seem likely that it is down to the stress of the current financial climate.
Shaun Kelly, outreach and communications co-coordinator at Central London branch said: "Debt is known to contribute to emotional distress and sometimes people in financial difficulty can consider suicide as a way out of the situation that they are in. It is really important for people to talk to somebody about how they are feeling rather than keeping worries to themselves, in order to find a positive way forward."
Private clinics offering stress counselling say they are seeing more professionals from the financial industry - city bankers, traders and lawyers - seeking help.
Amanda Falkson, a psychotherapist from Psychotherapy City, said: "About 90% of my clients work in the city, and all of them want to leave their jobs. There is a lot of despair, anxiety and panic. It is a very unpleasant environment to work in. There is a feeling that only the strong will survive, so they are working longer, harder and later into the night. They are putting on a front and they feel scared and isolated. People have lost a lot of money on the markets that they had put aside to pay for their pension or their children's education."
Last year debt enquiries to the Citizens Advice Bureaux in England and Wales hit a record high, increasing by 20% in 12 months, bringing the total to 1.7 million in 2006/07.
Debt is now the number one issue advised on by Citizen's Advice, accounting for nearly one in three of all enquiries. Its advisers are dealing with over 6,600 debt problems every working day. Debts relating to credit, store and charge cards still remain the largest category of debt. But the bureaux is seeing a sharp rise in the number of cases where people are struggling to pay their mortgage, council tax and utility bills.
People walk through the doors of the UCKG HelpCentre every week in order to find help for their debt and financial problems. Individuals are able to receive free advice and counselling as well as a prayer to give them strength to change their financial status, or to overcome any reoccurring problems. As a result, many have seen their financial situation changing for the better. Some have been able to clear their debts completely, whilst others have been able to better control their money.
Join these people every Monday at your local UCKG at 7am, 10am, 3pm or 7.30pm.
For more information, call our helpline on 0207 686 6000.
The Samaritans say the stress of the current economic crisis has resulted in a sharp rise in calls to its service. Its branch in Central London had an extra 1,000 calls during August and September this year - 25% more than in the same months last year. 