A financial services company claims to have identified the key warning signs that debt is getting out of hand.

Britain now has more debt as a proportion of income than any other country except Japan, with personal debt standing at £1,191 billion at the end of April 2006.

Debt is as much of a psychological problem as a financial one according to financial services company Seeing Red, which has identified behavioural characteristics shown by those who may be sliding into problem debt.

Signs like avoiding opening official-looking letters, losing sleep, missing one or more mortgage or credit card repayments, signing up for zero per cent interest credit cards and avoiding totalling up the amount owed can indicate that it is time to get help.

Other symptoms of problem debt include hiding bank statements from friends and family, relationship problems with family and friends as a result of debts and telling yourself lies about the amount owed.

"The good news is that there is a lot of help available, depending on the size and type of debt problem you are experiencing," said Seeing Red's Sue Cox.

"If you're having money problems, the worst thing you can do is to just ignore the situation. We urge people to stop worrying about their debt, and start dealing with it."

If you are concerned about debt and the effect it is having on your credit rating click here to order a copy of your credit report.




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