Debt, Depression, and Suicide: There’s Help Out There

This blog post is part of the 4th Annual Suicide Prevention Awareness Month blog tour. If you are feeling suicidal, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741.

I’ve been writing about the intersection of debt, depression, and suicide for five years. I’ve been organizing the Suicide Prevention Blog Tour for four years. This topic hits close to home as my maternal grandfather died by suicide and I’ve felt my own mental health fall into disarray because of debt.

For this September’s Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, I was lucky enough to write about this link in my article “Why We Can No Longer Ignore the Link Between Suicide and Debt” for Allure.

I’ve also worked on studies illustrating the link between money and mental health for my client Student Loan Planner. We found 1 in 15 borrowers surveyed have considered suicide because of debt and 90 percent feel anxiety due to their loans.

This is something we can’t ignore and must break the taboo. If you are struggling with debt, know that you are not a loan. You are not alone. Debt is not a death sentence. Below you’ll find resources for support.

https://www.maggiegermano.com/podcast/making-the-connection-between-money-and-mental-health/

https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/biggerpockets-money-podcast-91-melanie-lockert

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Call 1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention 

Project Semicolon

CNQR

Open Path Collective — affordable therapy. You can also check your local college to see if their graduate program in counseling offers discounted sessions. 

Debtors Anonymous 

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Melanie

Melanie Lockert is the founder of the blog and author of the book, Dear Debt. Through her blog, she chronicled her journey out of $81,000 in student loan debt. She is also the co-founder of the Lola Retreat, which helps bold women face their fears, own their dreams and figure out a plan to be in control of their finances. She is passionate about empowering women, helping others get out of debt, and focuses on the intersection of debt and mental health. Every September she organizes a Suicide Prevention Awareness Blog Tour, to help share resources for those struggling with debt and suicide. In addition to her love of personal finance, art and music, she is also a karaoke master and a cat mom to Miles and Thelonious.

Latest posts by Melanie (see all)

• Talking About Money and Mental Health - September 12, 2022
• Dear Debt, We’re Better Apart - June 27, 2022
• Announcing The Mental Health and Wealth Summit - May 4, 2021