Almost 10 million UK consumers could be tipped into or pushed further into debt this new year.
Four out of 10 are currently in debt, excluding mortgage and student loans, and of those more than a third expect the festive season to have pushed them even further into the red, according to research from moneysupermarket.com.
Scotland saw the greatest increase of consumers in debt compared with last year, with 47% owing money compared with 38% a year ago, and a UK average of 40%. For those not already in debt, one in 10 will be pushed into arrears by funding the festive period.
Overall, 69% of those surveyed said they would resort to spending on a credit card, 23% planned to use their overdraft and 9% had taken a loan to tide them over.
Now Money Advice Scotland (MAS) is calling for debt counselling to be available by prescription on the NHS, to slash Scotland's anti-depression bill.
As the festive season threatens to deepen debt problems for many, MAS is exploring the idea of setting up a kind of Alcoholics Anonymous for people concerned about debt or falling behind with their rent and mortgage payments. It recently invited charity workers, regulators, lenders and medical practitioners to Glasgow to discuss the practicalities of setting up such a service.
Scottish Government figures show there has been 40% increase in the prescribing of anti-depressants in the past four years and that one in 10 Scots is on these drugs. Separate research by the Centre for Mental Health found mental health cost £10.7 billion in 2010, up from £8.6bn in 2006. There is mounting anecdotal evidence that debt concerns in the current economic climate are behind the rise.
Indeed mental health charity Mind has also said debt can act as a trigger for mental illness. Its report In the Red says: "Our research shows that debt is not just a financial problem but can have a serious impact on a person's mental health in terms of anxiety and stress, depression, self-harm and suicidal thoughts."
Dr Jean Turner, the former MSP who practised as a GP in the North of Glasgow for several decades from the 1970s, said she had been struck by how often financial difficulties lay behind patients' problems during her time as a GP.
"People often went to their GP to solve their debt problems," she said, adding that she would like to see a debt counsellor in every GP practice in Scotland, and believed financial problems as a cause of illness should become a standard component of doctor training.
Some large GP practices in West Lothian do have Citizens Advice debt advisers in their practices, but it is far from the norm. However there is evidence of the benefit of offering debt counselling to people with depression.
Alex MacDermott, a policy officer at Citizen Advice, said its money counselling in Shropshire was funded by the region's Primary Care Trust following a pilot programme in the maternity unit of the Princess Royal Hospital.
Yvonne MacDermid, chief executive of MAS, told The Herald: "We believe that while much is being done to look at the relationship of mental health and debt, there is still much room for improvement. We need better engagement with health professionals and others who can influence the debate."
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