Now we all know what Christmas is supposed to be like, a picture postcard scene with the family gathered around the tree exchanging gifts and laughter, but unfortunately many of us will be facing a festive season which is far less glossy. Debt, in-laws you can’t get along with, stepchildren that make life difficult and read more »

Male, white-collar, mid thirties is the new typical gambling addict according to the NHS. The typical patient now seen in the National Problem Gambling Clinic (NPGC) is a white-collar male in his mid 30’s who has one or sometimes two jobs to further his addiction. Psychiatrists reported an alarming number of city workers and graduates read more »

The number of people seeking professional help for a gambling addiction increased by more than 20% last year according to a charity that supports compulsive players, reports the Guardian. GamCare is an advisory body that helps those with gambling addictions and is partly funded by the betting industry. They deal with around 100 people a read more »

Christians Against Poverty operate a huge number of church based debt counselling centres across the U.K. As a result of the recession and the growing number of people forcing themselves into unmanageable debt they have announced they plan to double their rate of expansion in what they have named the ‘Ultimate Challenge’. CAP (Chirstians Against read more »

New figures show that more women are suffering from mental health problems, reports The Independent. The number of women being referred to a NHS psychiatrist is rising faster then men. In the last year the number of referrals rose 3.4%, with over 70% of that number being made up of women. The figures, published by read more »

The recession has triggered symptoms of depression in those facing unemployment or money worries, so the government is to announce new plans for more counselling and ‘talking-therapy services’ reports the Guardian. The plans include a new NHS Direct hotline where people can talk to trained therapists as well as more advice available in job centres read more »

The number of debt enquiries has doubled over the past decade, according to Citizens Advice. The charity now deals with an average of 7,241 new debt problems every day and on average, people who went to Citizens Advice seeking help last year were £16,971 in debt. The number of redundancy enquiries handled by Citizens Advice read more »

The percentage of women suffering from a mental health disorder is rising, according to an article on the Guardian website. An NHS report reveals that one if five women suffer from some kind of anxiety or depression. The percentage of women aged 16-24 with a common mental disorder has risen from 19.1% to 21.5%. There read more »

A survey commissioned by Sainsbury’s has shown that a third of ten to 11 year olds are worried about the credit crunch, reports the Scotsman. A growing number of primary school children are asking to talk to counsellors about money worries, having picked up on the anxiety of their parents and families and through the read more »

New figures released today show the extent of the increase in demand for housing, debt and couples counselling, reports The Telegraph. The recent economic climate has seen people struggling holding onto jobs and homes, and the financial burden can put a strain on relationships. 155 local authorities were surveyed, and 93% said there had been read more »