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student loan debt and suicide?

Printed From: CanadaStudentDebt.ca
Category: Other Topics
Forum Name: Stress & Mental Health Dealing with Student Loans
Forum Description: A place to help dealing with the stress of this crap!
URL: https://www.canadastudentdebt.ca/forum_posts.asp?TID=3195
Printed Date: 28/March/2024 at 3:07pm
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Topic: student loan debt and suicide?
Posted By: frustrated-guy
Subject: student loan debt and suicide?
Date Posted: 13/December/2005 at 8:12am

I was just curious if anyone knows if the stress of paying off a CSL (never ending collectors etc) has driven anyone to suicide.

I hope this has not occured but would not be surprised given how nasty the collection folks are.

I assume this is a real danger when the colleectors push so hard. They litterally want your left arm.

What happens to the debt if one offs oneself? 

 




Replies:
Posted By: momof2
Date Posted: 13/December/2005 at 8:30am

i think i have read/heard about a few people contemplting suicide over debt relatd issues, whether or not they did or not, i cannot say.

provided there is no co signor to the debt, it magically vanishes upon the untimely demise of the debtor...



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professionals built the titanic but amateurs built the ark...


Posted By: frustrated-guy
Date Posted: 13/December/2005 at 8:44am
so sadly this is the only way that one can make their debt go away?


Posted By: administrator
Date Posted: 14/December/2005 at 9:19pm
Dear Frustrated-guy,
A few years ago I ended up at this same dark place where I considered that conclusion. After arguing with a CSLP head office official who denied me disability relief... I argued with him for an hour and then realized that there was no help available at this time. - but with hindsight I stress "at this time"

Please realize that things can change - but hope is a choice. I've learned that through some very difficult times. And knowing the government, they'll still try to collect the debt from your estate, in violation of the regulations! Just as they arent forgiving loans under disability cases....

I started meditating on the idea that my debt is just a number in a computer file. I am still alive, can go for a walk, listen to music, have friends, even with this number on a computer system somewhere and even with a collector calling.

Five years from now we may have a completely different loan system with new programs. Maybe, maybe not. Who knows, but if someone had told me 5 years ago that I would magically get an invitation to go to China, get far superior medical treatment, meet wonderful people and make wonderful friends, and get to sing on national TV in China singing a chinese song, record a CD, and get my book published again, I would have thought they were NUTS! Yet all of this has happened to me! Yet I still have my student loan!

If your situation is that difficult, then a bankruptcy court may in time eliminate your debt, or there may be new programs in place to help in the future as the government and public is beginning to recognize the debt problem and the mental health costs as well as the need for improvements in service levels.

There is hope, if one choses to have hope. It is a choice I can make in this moment. I did it and look what happened. Its been amazing. I'm not saying you'll end up on TV singing a chinese song, but I'm trying to say that my effort to end my dark negative thoughts about my situation and to develop hope got me where I am... I still have to watch myself sometimes... getting caught in a downward spiral, but I can recognize when its happening and start to reverse the trend.


I've also worked hard on my gratitude for the good things in my life, and given far less attention to the student loan. I will pay it off one day, but first I'm taking care of myself. I've learned that the more I was telling myself I was in a terrible situation, the more miserable I felt. I started turning around how I talked to myself. I still only have a small amount of money ($100 in my bank account today) but I am working, my health is now back, and I have my book self-published... I got these things done by having a vision of happiness and good things in my life....

I focussed on the good, developed my "hope muscle" I used to focus my life on how I could get the debt to go away. Now I focus on how I can enjoy what I have, and how the debt can still be there but I give less mental attention to it, and I become happier.

Doing nice things for other people really helps.
Hope you find some inspiration... or create it yourself...

Mark

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Administrator
Mark OMeara
Author of Let Go and Heal: Recovery from Emotional Pain
https://LaughSingWrite.com - http://bit.ly/heal2024


Posted By: nago
Date Posted: 21/December/2005 at 10:25pm
yep, i use to say it all the time on this forum

And one time johnny goes call me well get that "monkey off your back" (he might have said 800 pound Gorilla but i wasnt thinking to clearly) and all the other guys/gals on the forums would say dont worry, pay what you can pay or just do your best

So how did things change for me. First, knowing everyone is going through the same crap or worse made things better. I thought it was just me with a criminal record. But my eyes were opened so fast my head really did spin around.

Second, I took control. I took the neccissary steps to alleviate some of my burden. I read through the post and learned as much as i could, threw my shoebox full of unopened student loans on the ground, kept a record of everything concerning SL's--Instead of screaming John please phone me every day. I started going to the library to read the forums and learn.

Third, pure luck. Last year i had no income my mother was helping me pay the rent and keep my loans in good standing. At this time, i owed 30k in loans. But i kept pushing and didnt take no for an answer and got 22k knocked off (13 times and 6 months i took me to get dr). After the summer i got a job for 10 bucks an hour doing security guard and now for the first time in over 10 years i bought christmas presents

So one minute i was at the top of bridge and now slowly im trying to move forward. I joined the gym and soon i will get my teeth fixed and whiteened.

Then, maybe in a year or two i might get a girlfriend. (havent had one since i got the criminal record '94) or some friends--after i got the record and lost everything my real friends disappeared so fast

So things can change and dont let em get you down





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http://img152.imageshack.us/my.php?image=2sn9.jpg


Posted By: kwelmm
Date Posted: 25/December/2005 at 3:32am

Nago,

 Congratulations, for making that turn around!  I have watched your posts progress and you have made great achievements!!  Good for you! 

Merry Christmas, Nago!



Posted By: KimM
Date Posted: 27/December/2005 at 12:58pm
So sorry I didn't make it for Christmas but, ...its been years now, at the time I felt pushed by the community that I was living in to commit suicide --just to make them feel better.  When it clicked in my head, I packed up a carload of stuff, my cats and my kid, locked up the house and up and left.  When life gets that bad, you have to hope that your instincts kick in.... that's why you never stop believing... in yourself.. not anyone or anything else.

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Nehemiah 5:7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.



Posted By: Hunter2
Date Posted: 28/December/2005 at 3:57am
Yes.
From personal experience I know the urge is there. Sometimes I think my family would be better off. We are facing a really serious debt situation and there is no possible way that I can make enough to pay down a 1400 dollar a month debt. I try to think about making little payments, doing small things, but its unrealistic in some ways.

My husband and I have had many arguments over my student loans. We were not together when I started school and were married after I completed. We have separated once over the issue and if collectors really start hammering me..well..I don't know how much he can handle. If I go into a depression again that may well be the death knell for our marriage.

When you are facing a mountain of debt with no job prospects that would come even close to enabling a pay off in your life time its easy to just want to escape. Especially combined with the feeling that everyone would be "better off" without the stress of it.

I had read a couple of years ago about a woman who owed the gov't 20 000 in back taxes(married with two young kids). She could not handle the stress and opted out. Her husband was heartbroken and started a media campaign against the gov't and collectors whom he felt pushed her over the edge. It was really sad particularily because they had the amount needed in RRSP's. Of course the funds were released after her death to pay back the debt.

Things can change, I think the primary thing is holding on and not giving into the urge. My hope lays in going to court and thats my focus. From reading documents judges may not discharge the debt will many reduce it , even people who have been dishonest with the system(Which I feel pretty good about because I have been truthful at all times) So I feel I have acted in good faith and am documenting that aspect. If they would reduce my debt to an amount that is plausible to pay back I would happily(actually I would be thrilled) to pay back say 20% of my income per month for the next 10 years? Anyway now I am rambling.
Sorry.....


Posted By: SocialismNow
Date Posted: 19/April/2007 at 8:11pm

Please, don't even consider suicide. Instead, think "fight back!."  These problems we are having are purely political in nature. And governments in Canada and the U.S. are promoting the most unequal, inaccessable PSE system in the developed world. Article 26 of the Declaration of Human Rights says access to higher education should be based on merit, but not ability to pay. Not only are students in Canada in debt to the tune of more than $20 Billion dollars, there are Canadians who for the first time really in recent Canadian history, just can't access student loans and cannot afford the outrageous costs of pursuing higher education in this country. 

COMER.org is a good web site that explains how funding of governmental programs was never an issue until the very right-wing policies of Brian Mulroney came into effect in the 1980's. Canada's national debt didn't reach $20 billion dollars from the turn of the last century to 1974, and that was after the feds went into debt funding during the world wars. There are better uses for the Bank of Canada.

And there are citizens assemblies studying electoral reform in Ontario and across Canada. This is important for Canadians, because if you believe in democracy, then we need proportional democracy as exists in several developed nations around the world for many years. http://fairvotecanada.org - http://fairvotecanada.org   Some of us believe that if not enough of the next generation takes an interest in democracy, it can lead to creeping fascism. Get involved. One Canadian should equal one vote, and that's not the case right now.

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The federal NDP will offer affordable education. University is free in the social democracies of Europe, and their national debts aren't as large as ours or the U.S.A's.


Posted By: collegegrad
Date Posted: 29/September/2007 at 6:15am

I'm in the United States. I can confirm several suicides have happened due to the current student loan situation.

Many U.S. borrowers have fled the U.S. (settling in Canada) in an effort to avoid the hardships of harrassment and repayment.

One student killed himself last month (in the state of Illinois). His debt had spiraled climbed to over $100K due to interest.



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pdc


Posted By: paulaffleck
Date Posted: 01/October/2007 at 6:10pm
Very distressing, indeed.

People undertake student debt at a very young age.  Students incur the debt to become better functioning members of society.  It is not debt undertaken on any obviously risky business venture.  It reflects the most laudable of motives.  Yet, it is insulated from bankruptcy mitigation, while debt foolishly undertaken in many ill-advised business ventures is NOT so insulated.

That a financial burden undertaken for the dream of a better life, sold to students when they are of tender age and full of hope, can lead to tragedies such as this, is nothing short of a failure of society at large.

I'm paying my loans back, but I've had people go to bat for me in life.  Others aren't so lucky, and I feel terrible that this sort of thing happens to them.




Posted By: tillers
Date Posted: 21/October/2008 at 10:25am
hi there my name is Vickie and i am very stressed with a student loan debt of 80,000 i left school due to medical problems so never completed also ran out of funding. CSL refused my interest relief application due to my inability to pay $2000 of capitalized interest which they demanded in 1 week. I even offered payments however they refused. I recently went through bancruptcy just over a year ago however CSL was exempt. The monthly payments asked for by CSL is $700/m  my income is $2000 can they start withdrawing this from my account

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vp


Posted By: administrator
Date Posted: 29/October/2008 at 4:49am
Make sure your bank account is NOT the same account or bank that you had your student loan deposited to.  
 
That is the first line of protection.
 
Mark


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Administrator
Mark OMeara
Author of Let Go and Heal: Recovery from Emotional Pain
https://LaughSingWrite.com - http://bit.ly/heal2024


Posted By: tillers
Date Posted: 30/October/2008 at 4:50am
what is the percentage of your gross income that can be taken from csl

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vp


Posted By: SolveStudentDebt
Date Posted: 31/October/2008 at 7:22pm
Depends.


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Solve Student Debt specializes in solutions for students and graduates in student loan default, and those at risk of defaulting.

http://www.solvestudentdebt.com" rel="nofollow - solvestudentdebt.com


Posted By: Nabma
Date Posted: 12/April/2010 at 11:19am
I felt compelled or obligated to go to school. every single person in the school system said more schooling was the only possible route to get a job. I wanted to work for my first year, but was convinced by many people that school was the best choice. personally i'm Single, no dependants, and no co-sign to my debt. I left school because i became too depressed to do anything. As a classic dude, i have no medical record of this, save for a few prescriptions that i hate. I also hid it from every single person i could, still noone knows about it. I planned on "off"ing myself immediately, but after waiting a bit and thinking about it, i figure life is still good, as long as i am not brought down by those loans. Technically i was 18 when i signed the loans, but was not an adult by a longshot. I don't really give a sh*t if people come after me, i will purge all (reported) income from my lifestyle so noone can take it away. Now i am very poor with all other expenses which are necessities, so my tax returns and other random payments go towards my student laons, but in 3 years of paying over 10,000 to the governemnt, my student loans went UP. yes UP. the interest added on because i wasn't paying regular amounts, so now my 20k student loans are now 20K after paying 50% off. Thats all i need to hear to make a suicidal guy go off the deep end.


Posted By: Nabma
Date Posted: 12/April/2010 at 11:27am
I will never concede, i will never cooperate. i was wholly trusting in the education system, until i realized it was not a system at all, but an industry. I was taken advatage of, as were all of u
Perhaps this is not the place to argue Philosophy, but in other countries, investing in the future is seen as beneficial for the greater good of the state. They invest freely in those who desire education. I see this whole student loan mess as a way to get money from people moving to different countries right after they're graduates (the infamous Brain-drain), but this is mostly medical professionals, and i don't see why all other students should suffer because a very few are taking advantage of subsidized education and then splitting.


Posted By: Nabma
Date Posted: 12/April/2010 at 11:41am
Tillers, i do not believe that CSl can take that much from your monthly income.  So long as u can justify expenses (aka rent, food, car insurance etc.) They cannot take anything considered necessary to survival. Mind you, in these Weimar republic-like times, u never know how low the government will stoop, or more likely its contractors/proxies will bend the law. The government taking your money that u need to survive is the most evil and corrupt thing we can imagine( robin hood anyone?). BUUUUT when the government hires a contractor, and the contractor bends laws, violates privacy, threatens and intimidates, it is seen as acceptable, and this is double speak that goverment engages in. Any company that hired someone who breaks the law is held accountable for those that they hire. but when the government does it, suddenly all the checks and balances are missing, and accountability goes haywire. That is the reason we are paying exorbitant student loans so nurses and doctors can graduate, move to the states and get the big bucks. ( and not even pay their loans back if they dont plan on moving back to canada). I mean, talk about a system ... err Industry lacking proper checks and balances. I say noone should ever support a corrupt industry. Technically, the best answer is for no student to ever pay back a cent of loans until it changes. Use the governments money hostage against itself


Posted By: BN
Date Posted: 18/August/2010 at 7:44am

I will…  don’t know what to do.  I am being harassed with collection agency’s phone calls at work.  Depressed and thinking about suicide.  Vicious circle, never ends.  I will be getting out of the circle, I had enough.



Posted By: SolveStudentDebt
Date Posted: 19/August/2010 at 6:21am
Do you want some help with this? When you are being bothered by collectors like this it can be stopped, and there is help. If you want to call us to help you can.

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Solve Student Debt specializes in solutions for students and graduates in student loan default, and those at risk of defaulting.

http://www.solvestudentdebt.com" rel="nofollow - solvestudentdebt.com


Posted By: administrator
Date Posted: 19/August/2010 at 4:33pm
If you need help, please call the local crisis center.  Info is in the front of your phone book.  With help, the abusive collection agent can be stopped from calling at work. 

Make sure you connect with some help and talk to someone.   John can be helpful...

Let us know you're ok.   


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Administrator
Mark OMeara
Author of Let Go and Heal: Recovery from Emotional Pain
https://LaughSingWrite.com - http://bit.ly/heal2024



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