COLUMBUS, Ohio -- As the economy continues to tumble, mental health providers said they are seeing a huge increase in suicide calls and domestic violence.
Calls to the National Domestic Hotline have increased 21 percent from September 2007 to September 2008.
Calls were up 18 percent this October compared to last year and experts said they are receiving more suicide calls than in years past.
Everyone gets stressed and at some point in their life will have to deal with bad news. But lately, it seems that the bad just keeps coming, NBC 4's Tacoma Newsome reported.
Dr. David Lowenstein is a local psychologist who counsels families and knows first hand how they're being affected by the economic environment.
"Everything seems negative or is interpreted as negative right now," he said.
Lowenstein said that nearly everyone has been touched by recent layoffs as people are losing their jobs or live in fear of losing their jobs.
Financial woes are starting to take a heavy toll on families in the form of stress and in some cases that stress has turned deadly.
But, Lowenstein said there are warning signs.
"They're not sleeping at night, easily angered, need to talk about what's going on," he said.
Talking about what you're going through, Lowenstein said, is his prescription. It helps you get perspective and shares the load.
He also said that in extreme cases and when a loved one's stress involves substance abuse or violence, you may need to remove yourself from the situation until that person can get help and get back on track.
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