What if a persons depression is because of their finances?

Question

There are alot of people who are depressed in this economy and they can't afford counselors and medications because their depression is due to financial lacking.

What can a person do to aleviate this kind of depression?

Obvious answers like "get a job" will be ignored. If the answers were that simple, we wouldn't need to ask the question.

Answer 1

You have a very relevant point. Two days ago I was listening to a couple at the Newsagent talk about this man who had just killed himself...I didnt hear the details, but did hear one say, it was so stupid because it was just over money. Hell, JUST over money, this man killed himself, so he was at his wits end and that was the only way he saw he could get out of his situation. Suicide is silly at the best of times, but when it is over a financial situation people tend to not take it is seriously. When a person gets depressed, then they are depressed...what caused the depression is really irrelevant. Because of people's perceptions, this man probably felt he couldnt talk to anyone about his feeling because they would think he was "silly". About 10 years ago, my friend was seeing this guy. He was divorced from his wife but had to pay child support..He worked, but he had to live himself. He was left with $10 a week to live on because most of his earnings went on child support....I think he had something like 6 kids. He tried to go through the courts, he tried to make his ex see reason...nothing worked. My friend used to take him around food and do whatever she could for him. He didnt want to be a charity case...he was totally lost, he had tried everything to alleviate his financial burdon, but no-one was listening. He killed himself......what other way did he have.

The reality of life is that we do need to have money to survive. We need to pay our bills, we need to eat, and just sometimes we need a social activity. If we havent got the funds to even see to our basic needs, like food, shelter and clothing, then where do we go? Getting a job isnt necessarily the answer either because these two men I am talking about here, both had jobs. People post questions about being in love with someone who left them and they feel suicidal. Other questions are that they have a mental illness and want to suicide. I have never seen one question where a person is in financial difficulties who want to kill themselves.....Why? Because people view it as not a good enough reason to kill themselves and people who ask "silly" questions like that will be ridiculed. Maybe if more statistics were available about the incidence of financial difficulty being the reason for suicide, maybe more people would sit up and take notice. And then when someone feels suicidal because of financial trouble, they wont feel so alientated about coming forward to talk about their problems. I think the biggest reason why people dont say anything is because it kinda brands them a failure. The world we live in is totally different to 30 years ago. It is so hard these days to live comfortably...and you really have to be born into a super rich family to be able to afford everything we want and need. The cost of living is so high these days and the majority of people are spending three quarters or more of their income to just survive. It IS hard for people with jobs, so its got to be harder for people without jobs. I dont know if there is an easy solution. How do you tell someone who cannot feed their family, nor afford the rent/mortage to feel better? Will a counsellor give him/her the extra funds? It is the money, not the counselling he needs to survive and all the good intentioned words really will have no effect if he cannot even provide the basics to survive. I think a lot of people who are in financial difficulty probably could find a way to get out of it, but they dont come forward and talk about it for the simple reason they think they will be labelled a failure. My words of advice to someone who was in financial difficulty would be...sell your house, sell your car, buy something cheaper...sell any assets you have and work out a plan they can financially live within. I would also tell them that nothing stays the same, but if you ignore your financial situation and not take steps to make it better, then there will be very little changes. I would tell him to talk about this to their friends, family, acquaintances....see if they can help out. It is pride that is killing people in these situations. If society didnt expect so much from people then maybe they would come forward and seek out the help they trully need. Until mentalities change about financial difficulties, then people will continue to kill themselves on a daily basis. I think this is a huge problem, but has been swept under the rug. The perfect example was the guy who killed himself because he couldnt see a way out of his dilema...he tried everything he could...the next step would have been to hit the streets and live out of garbage bins...that is no life for anyone...so the better option in his mind was death. There is no easy solution to this horrible problem. The Government is to blame in a lot of cases, the big wigs are sitting in their glass houses making policies. For makin these policies they are earning someinthing like a million a year...and who pays that?...the taxpayer does.........the taxpayer who hasnt got enough to feed his family. Its a disgrace, and unless people in power get off their arses, then people will continue to kill themselves because the problem is not being addressed. My only words of comfort to anyone in this situation, is that there is always a solution, yes even in my friends case. He could have lived with this friend of mine...she would have looked after him until he could get on his feet. Pride prevented that from happening. You are not a failure if you are having financial problems, its the society we live in. The only way a person can alleviate this kind of depression is to talk about it....to accept any kind of financial help/emotional help that is available. A person's life is precious to those who love him/her, and death because of financial burdens seems so small when having to deal with the loss of a loved one through suicide. Most people will say....I wish he had of said something....we could have worked it out. "I just want him back, I love him"...I dont need a house, I dont need fancy clothes, I just want the man/woman I love beside me. Lose the pride and feeling of failure, then maybe the person will be in a clearer state of mind to work on this problem with someone. They are not alone, it is not just a one person responsibility. If the person is in a relationship, then talk to the spouse, even the children, work on the problem together. A problem shared is a problem halved...there are solutions and when you are in a think tank, those solutions become a lot clearer.

Answer 2

Focus on what you have rather than what you don't have. Having an optimistic and positive outlook on life goes a long way. Instead of thinking about how few Christmas presents you can buy this year, focus on the fact that you have people to whom you want to give a present. This applies to just about any area of concern. I tend to be quite optimistic even when things are looking bleak. I have to be -- I am a parent and a wife.

Also, if depression is circumstantial, I don't know how well medications will help. They don't cure the cause, just treat the symptom. Counselors are a good thing, and there are many places to see a counselor that don't charge -- the clergy for one.

One more point -- if a person has hope in their lives, it will bring them more peace than I can express. If you believe that no matter how bad things get, there is always hope that they will get better. When I used to volunteer at a suicide hotline, that was the thing that we emphasized the most -- HOPE.

Answer 3

People get depressed over their finances because we as people always want. Example New cars, jewellery anything material. If you want the nice things out of life we must work for it. Either by being employed which allows us to a fixed salary which again depresses us because we know what our limitations are. Or we can go out there and do our own thing and decide how much money we want to earn to get us the things we want out of life. Depression is a phase everyone experiences once or a few times in life. The choice is yours stay depressed or do something about it. Only you can make it better no one else.

Good Luck

Answer 4

Financial trouble can cause a person to be depressed. If you want wisdom, then here is wisdom: Knowledge is power. Get help from a non-profit financial counseling group on money management, checkbook balancing etc... This will give you a better grasp on how to manage finances and to live within your means. Soon you'll see that the depression will disappear as your confidence in money management increases.

Answer 5

This has happened to me before. The best advice I can give is to take it one pay check at a time. Most creditors and/or services will accept payments a little late if you just talk to them. Also, I would work on a budget. It really helps me to write down everything I spend. That way, I can see if I am spending any money on needless items. Just taking the first step towards financial security will help you to feel better. Just knowing you're on your way helps!

Answer 6

The person must either take time to learn how to deal with their problem of being poor and accept it, which is difficult. Or use that fustration to figure out how to get finances by in order and even go beyond that in order to protect against this happening again. Use the depression as strength to get out of it. And use the fear of being in that situation again to sheild yourself from it happening again.

Answer 7

I do have an answer for this very problem. I teach people how to advertise for major corporations by franchising online. This is not a get rich quick scheme, it does take dedication and hard work. The rewards are well worth every minute. Would an extra $10,000 a month help get rid of your depression? This can be done while you keep your current employment. email if want to talk more.

Answer 8

I agree with making a budget. We are a family of 4 on a very tight budget. Also depending on what your interests are, take advantage of free stuff. My husband likes music and my kids and I like books. So instead of buying them we just borrow from the library…sounds silly but it helps us from spending $ we don’t have to spend…

Answer 9

Poeple are allways depressed at this time of year because of finances.You are not alone.The presher to buy things(as seen on tv)can be overwelming at times.Dont let it get to you.Stay the(your)stedy course and all should be well.:)

Answer 10

Get a better paying job or a second job.

Coach

Answer 11

i'm in the same predicament. i don't know what to do either. maybe i should go to the supermarket, spill some water on the floor, trip, fall and sue them. think that would work?