Student loan horror stories: What's the worst that can happen?

Updated
Student loan horror stories: What's the worst than can happen?
Student loan horror stories: What's the worst than can happen?

With $830 billion in student loans outstanding in America, mounting student loan debt is increasingly wreaking havoc on the lives of U.S. college graduates and dropouts alike.

As unemployment remains stubbornly high, delinquencies and default rates are rising as indebted borrowers struggle to repay hefty student loans that often reach six-figures.

Unfortunately, college debt isn't just taking a financial toll on millions of borrowers. It's also inflicting staggering costs on the health, careers, emotional well-being and personal relationships of those burdened with big college loans.

At StudentLoanJustice.org, where people share their stories about living with college debt, one person talks about suffering a mild heart attack, while another laments having panic attacks – both due to the stress of student loans. Others admit having sleepless nights, migraines and even thoughts of suicide.

In fact, in a poll currently running on ForgiveStudentLoanDebt.com, 8% of those surveyed said they would be willing to commit suicide "as an aggressive form of protest" in order to be heard by Congress about their student loan plight.

So if you think the worst that can happen with hefty student loans or unpaid college debt is money problems and bad credit, think again.

It can actually get worse. Much worse.

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