For the past six months, Scarlett has noticed that her body begins to shake excessively.
It’s a response she associates with withdrawal from antidepressants, but that didn’t happen this time.
Instead, the tremors have coincided with rising costs of living, as she and her housemate have had to adjust their already tight budget.
“I have no way of supporting myself financially and I don’t know what to do,” Scarlett said.
“So that’s where I get to and then the spiral starts all over again.”
Scarlett says rising electricity and gas costs have been tough, but even the cost of groceries has had an impact.
“We can’t afford fresh groceries, actually we haven’t been able to for a long time.
“But now it’s even the meat. Normally we would buy chicken and sausage and stuff that tastes and lasts and that’s going up.”
Scarlett says a diagnosis of dysthymia, a milder but long-lasting form of depression, also known as persistent depressive disorder, is debilitating enough to stop her from working, but it doesn’t qualify her for Centrelink disability benefit.
Instead, she must work with an employment service and apply for 12 jobs a month, two tasks she finds triggers.
Cost of living is now the biggest mental health issue
A survey by Suicide Prevention Australia found that 40 per cent of Australians reported cost-of-living pressures and personal debt causing them elevated distress compared to this time last year.
YouGov’s survey of 1,024 adults conducted in August this year also found that it was ranked as the highest risk for suicide rates by frontline services.
Nieves Murray, executive director of Suicide Prevention Australia, says the findings have coincided with a substantial increase in demand for suicide prevention services, 88 per cent of which have seen an increase in demand during the same 12 months, versus 78 percent.
Murray says it’s positive to see more Australians seeking help, but warns further economic turmoil could prove challenging for frontline services already overstretched without additional funding and commitment to a National Suicide Prevention Act.
“Feeding the family and keeping a roof over our heads are two of the most basic human behaviors,” she says.
“While inflation and interest rates continue to rise, we must be prepared and proactive to prevent rates of mental anguish and suicide from doing the same.
Murray says that over the next 12 months, cost of living and personal debt are ranked as the biggest risks for rising suicide rates by both the public (68 percent) and the suicide prevention sector (74 percent). percent).
“This is higher than in previous years and it is the first time that an economic problem has surpassed social problems such as drugs, loneliness and family breakdown,” he says.
Scarlett is just one of many people who have seen their mental health decline as the cost of living rises.
She was hospitalized earlier this year with suicidal ideation but was able to be released to the care of friends and family.
But at 37, the once-successful design business owner isn’t sure how long she can continue to rely on her parents for help.
“The amount of shame around her is enormous,” she says.
“It’s getting worse, because it’s getting to a point where I can’t keep asking my parents [for financial help]. They are in the same situation as me.”
Anxious for the homeless, help is available
Financial counselor Deb Shroot of Financial Counseling Australia says that since February, when the cost of fuel started to rise, more people have turned to her service.
“There may be people who are anxious about what’s going to happen and want to try to plan,” he says, noting that many callers have jobs but work fewer hours than they’d like.
“We’re getting calls from people who may have had a good following, but have had a change in circumstances,” says Shroot. “They may have lost their job, someone got sick, separation or divorce, domestic violence, something like that.
These calls are in addition to the typical call that you have been struggling with for a long time.
She said one of the first things people tended to cut back on was insurance, which she said can end up being more of a hassle if someone has an accident or something goes wrong at home, followed by discretionary spending and medication.
It means that some people are becoming socially isolated and have to decline social invitations because they have stopped dating.
“People may be trying to cover up their situations, but friends may have noticed behavioral changes,” she says.
“We certainly found that there’s a lot of shame associated with not being able to afford those things as well.”
People who come to Shroot are often looking for a place where they can vent their fears and frustrations, but she thinks this is a good thing.
“Being in financial trouble and needing financial help is usually not an isolated problem. It’s usually quite complex. And there’s usually a cause that goes along with it,” she says.
“So that’s the beauty of financial counseling, in the fact that we try to put all those pieces together. And we try to help people get to the root of what’s going on.”
Don’t wait until it’s terrible
Respondents to the Suicide Prevention Australia survey suggested solutions including electricity and gas subsidies, increasing social security payments above the poverty line, building more social housing, removing negative gear and offering early intervention for people who have rent increases.
However, Shroot says the best thing anyone can do is simply talk to someone about their situation, whether it’s a financial advisor or a trusted friend or family member.
“People feel better after they’ve shared their situation with someone, and there are always options available,” he believes.
Additionally, Shroot says there are basic changes everyone can make, including budgeting, to ensure essentials are covered.
From there, looking at discretionary spending is the next step.
Shroot advises against increasing debt, either to cover other debts or essentials like gas or electricity. Consider looking into financial hardship programs for utilities instead, she says.
Shroot also recommends avoiding buy now, pay later or payday advance services that can lead to more debt over time.
“You don’t need to wait until you’re in dire straits before you get help,” he said.
“We have a lot of people who are maybe even anxious about what might be happening in the future.
“Call us. Like you don’t need to wait until your situation gets this bad. You don’t know what to do.”
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