Growing Debt Leads to Health Concerns, and to Credit Counseling for Relief

June 2008

We all know that debt is stressful, but just how stressful it is hadn't been studied until recently, when the health conditions of overextended borrowers were revealed in consumer polls.

According to the Associated Press-AOL Health poll, respondents who struggle with debt are far more likely to suffer from severe anxiety, neck pain, ulcers, headaches, severe depression, and even heart attacks.

So how are these people sleeping at night? Well, many of them aren't. But in response to these physical ailments borrowers are turning to a financial doctor along with a physical one: professionals of credit counseling.

Credit counseling has grown in popularity to astronomical heights in the last year and a half. As more and more Americans have to re-evaluate their budget, they're doing so with the support and advice of professionals who can help them to devise a new means of managing debt.

But as most consumer advocates warn, it's important to be aware of who your credit counseling service really is. Make sure no one is charging you for "hidden fees," and double check the terms and conditions applied to any consolidation loans offered to you.

The last thing you need is more debt to deal with when you're looking for relief from the strain of being overstretched.

By choosing a professional credit counseling service, you can finally sleep at night with the knowledge that your finances are moving in a healthy direction - along with the rest of you.