Stressed Central Illinoisans are experiencing pain, losing sleep, abusing drugs and alcohol, and arguing with their spouse and kids more than several months ago, according to professionals who deal with the aftermath of those problems. | Tips for dealing with financial stress | Interactive: Household budget calculator

"We're getting a lot more people who need emotional help," said Dave Hall, an emergency medical technician-intermediate and firefighter with the Bloomington Fire Department. "They're struggling and getting into situations that are detrimental to their health."

Hall, along with a certified financial planner, an emergency department nurse and a counselor, all said they're seeing job uncertainty, the economic crisis, personal debt and related problems result in a rise in stress-related illnesses. The upcoming holidays will add to stress for some people.

"We're seeing the stress climbing," said Diane Ryon, a certified financial planner with American Capital Equities and a tax consultant with DJR Tax Service, both in Bloomington. "Everything (in the news) is gloom and doom and people are tired of the negatives."

The message from each crisis responder is that people can make changes to assist their emotional, physical and financial health.

Hall said suicide attempts have become more common.

"We show empathy and compassion and that we're there to help them, not to judge them," Hall said. Firefighters and police often are able to convince the person to go to the hospital to meet with a crisis counselor.

At the hospital, one person who treats people in crisis is Ronald Bartlett, a charge nurse in the emergency department at BroMenn Regional Medical Center, Normal.

"We are treating an increased level of stress from work," Bartlett said. "Everyone is trying to do more with less - there's more work but not more staff or time."

People come to the emergency department with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, diarrhea or constipation, stomachache, or headache. "Everyone is affected differently by the stresses," Bartlett said.

Emergency department doctors and nurses recommend that the patient follow up with his or her doctor to get ongoing assistance.

Job uncertainty and fatigue

One person who gets the follow-ups is Peggi Hattaway, clinical manager of Chestnut Counseling & Family Services, Bloomington. Chestnut provides counseling and employee assistance programs to a variety of Central Illinois businesses.

"There's been a little bit of a bump" up, Hattaway said. More people are seeking counseling because of job uncertainty and the ongoing economic crisis.

Fatigue from sleeping and eating less, weight gain from eating more, increased arguing with spouse and kids, feelings of hostility or helplessness, increased road rage, headache and upset stomach and high blood pressure, an inability to focus at work, and increased headaches are among reasons that prompt people to realize they have a stress problem, Hattaway said.

Rising debt and tanking investments also are bringing people in, Hattaway said. If they need credit counseling, they are referred to Chestnut Credit Counseling.

Ryon said some people seeing her now are veteran employees working at businesses that have been downsizing.

"More work is being dumped on the survivors," Ryon said. Those surviving, long-time employees are seeing Ryon to determine when their financial situation will allow them to retire or to work part time.

For those who can retire, the stress level goes down.

"I have six clients right now who are no longer on blood pressure medicine or on insulin for diabetes because they retired," Ryon said.

Many clients that Ryon is seeing these days are affected by the national economic crisis. Some college students are having trouble getting loans. Some young couples are having trouble getting mortgages. Some families are awash in credit card debt. Some parents of college students are trying to determine how they will pay off college loans. Some clients want to know if they should stop putting money into 401ks, if they should switch funds or reduce the amount they are taking out for their 401ks.

Ryon said the last time she's seen it this rough was in the early '80s, when a lot of people were in debt and interest rates were bad.

The job and economic uncertainty are taking a toll. Ryon knows a lot of people with high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis and cancer. She thinks stress contributes to some of the diseases.

"We make a lot of referrals," she said. People with credit problems she refers to Chestnut Credit Counseling. People with specific diseases she refers to support groups. When Ryon isn't sure about an appropriate referral, she refers people to PATH (Providing Access To Help), the 24-hour crisis information and referral hotline.

Ryon also does a lot of educating regarding the stock market.

"The housing market and the auto industry are down but that happens every six years," she said. "The companies are sound. The market always waffles in an election year. We tell our clients, 'Hang on until election night and then we'll take a look.'

"As long as they're in good stuff (stock), the market will come back. The S&P 500 is doing fine."

Hattaway tells people it's natural to be anxious about the economy and their job. But you can be concerned without panicking or obsessing, she said.

"Keep things in perspective," Hattaway said. "This will pass and things will get better."