It’s easy enough to see how illness can
cause debt. Even for the financially responsible, an unexpected
health condition can lead to thousands of dollars in insurance deductibles and
medical travel expenses, and this doesn’t even begin to cover the financial
impact that needing to take time off of work can cause.
What might not be as obvious, however, is that the relationship
between debt and illness goes both ways. In other words, not only can illness
cause debt -- debt may actually be a contributing cause of illness, as well.
A recent BMC Study on Public Health came to this exact
conclusion, stating that “indebtedness” was impacting patients negatively by causing
stress, impacting their relationships, and causing them to make unhealthy
choices such as skipping checkups and eating poorly.
Here are a few of the most common health conditions that debt
can help cause and/or exacerbate:
- Anxiety. The link between anxiety and debt should be fairly obvious: we all worry about money from time to time, and for people with clinically significant levels of anxiety, falling into debt can complicate treatment.
- Depression. Feelings of worthlessness and guilt, inability to focus, and persistent low energy are all listed among the most common symptoms of depression. And, even though a person’s worth is in no way determined by their financial status, society often tells us otherwise. This is just one reason why depression and debt is a bad combination.
- Blood Pressure. Worry and stress can contribute to high blood pressure, which is one potential explanation of the correlation between high blood pressure and debt. Financial problems often impact people’s diets, however, which could also make a difference. We’ll talk more about that in the next point on obesity.
- Obesity. Eating healthy, organic food is more expensive than eating canned food. And people who are in debt may be forced to work more than one job, which makes unhealthy fast food an attractive option compared with coming home and cooking after a double shift. And the prospect of paying for a gym can sound flat out ridiculous. These are all reasons why financial problems and obesity tend to go hand in hand.
- Immunity. Studies also show that people who are in debt are more likely to be immunodepressed. This could be in large part due to the previous four factors listed.
Looking to free yourself of debt and live a healthier, happier
life? Visit Madison
Monroe and Associates online today to learn about our stress
relieving debt reduction programs!
