If you are suffering the crippling effects of debt, you are not alone.

Across the UK, debt affects one in five people and takes its toll in many ways.

Living in debt can consume your life, leaving you permanently anxious and emotionally drained. This in turn can permeate throughout families, destroying relationships.

A survey by leading debt charity the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (CCCS) has revealed that more than a third (37 per cent) of people said that a debt problem had adversely affected their relationship with their partner, and almost a quarter (22 per cent) said it had affected their relationship with their children.

The impact on people’s health wasn’t any more positive, with almost half (46 per cent), saying that it had a very negative impact, and only six per cent saying it had no impact.

Examples of how people’s health suffered included a nervous breakdown, hair-loss and palpitations. This, in turn, contributes to people’s ability to do their jobs.

Tony Dylak, chief executive of Royds, which has operated a benefits and debt advice service in Bradford for 14 years, says: “We have long understood the human cost of debt problems. People blame each other – families can be torn apart by it.”

The service has carried out work with local GPs to identify whether people suffering from debt were seeking help at the doctors, and found they were.

“A significant number of patients were experiencing physical and mental health problems because of debt,” says Mr Dylak.

This led to strong partnerships between the service and local surgeries, and helped to secure funding from NHS Bradford and Airedale, the district’s primary care trust.

“We found that as soon as people came along and shared their problems, and knew they were being helped, they felt better. ”

The service, which is also funded by Bradford Council and various other organisations, had a record-breaking year to April 2010, helping 2,656 people, and writing off £288,000 worth of debt. In total they tackled more than £760,000 worth of debt – double that from the previous year.

The CCCS survey found that many people kept their debt problem hidden from those close to them. Ten per cent of people told no-one, giving reasons such as ‘shame’, ‘embarrassment’ and ‘it’s quite difficult to acknowledge that you are an adult and unable to manage your finances’.

This matches the picture at Royds. “People are ashamed and embarrassed. Often they blame themselves for the debt,” says Mr Dylak.

He also agrees that recklessness is not the main cause of debt problems. “It just takes a change in circumstances – being made redundant can cause problems with your partner, which can lead to separation, then there are two homes which both need an income,” explains Tony. “You can quickly go from a comfortable to a fairly impoverished lifestyle.

“It impacts hugely on families. The strain on relationships is immense.”

Bradford-based independent advice service Holme Christian Community, which has the same funding source as Royds, has experienced a huge rise in the number of people they have helped over the past two years.

Between April 2009 and March 2010, they saw 2,345 new clients, from a total of 5,995.

Chief executive David Wilford agrees with the CCCS findings: “Debt puts a massive strain on relationships. People stop functioning properly – the debt is always on their mind. They do drastic things.”

The far-reaching effects can include domestic violence, and children are affected too, he adds. “We have had one person threatening suicide due to debt. Often, there are multiple issues – maybe both partners have lost their jobs, then everything comes tumbling down. People often succumb to loan sharks who charge horrendous rates of interest.”

The Bradford-based national debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty works through a network of local churches and has two centres in the district. “We agree with the findings and our on-going research backs it up,” says spokesman Sharon Thresher.

“We see the daily effects of debt. We go into people’s homes and see how it has destroyed their lives. A large number of our clients see debt as the reason their relationship has suffered or broken down.”

Dept adviser at Royds Pat Timlin adds: “When people have been to see us and realise what we can do for them, it is a weight off their minds. It is like giving them a prescription.”