Is it a social taboo to talk about debt? Or will openly discussing this topic du jour pull many consumers’ heads out of the sand? Marriages end because of money problems. People take their own life over debt. Financial depression is real. The weight of hiding hefty debt eventually becomes too much, so we’ve offered some advice to ease the burden.

Hidden debt is one long and expensive secret. If you’re under the impression debt can be rid just as quickly as you racked it up, think again. According to Suze Orman’s calculations, if you owe $5k on a credit card with an average APR of 21% and are paying the minimum (around $125 each month), it will take you nearly six years and $2,693 of additional interest to dig yourself out. To figure your own debt pay-off date, visit Orman’s online calculators.

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to debt. This CreditCard.com article discusses how 8 out of 10 adults are reluctant to talk about credit card debt. To face the music, you don’t necessarily need to discuss your debt with a stranger. But you must begin by at least facing your credit card statements.

There’s more than just emotional hurt involved. If you’re married or a co-signer on a card, try the fact your partner is as much responsible for the debt amount as you are. This person deserves a fair chance to take control before financial disaster does both your credit in, so do the right thing for someone else. With a record number of foreclosures and job losses, suicides over money issues have gone up.

Debt has a tendency to repeat itself. Unless you surrender your little secret, trust help from others and stick to spending new habits, you’re still subject to toe the debt line again or become what financial writer Jonathon Pond dubs a debt recidivist. Or someone who just hasn’t learned the lesson. Seek support outside yourself.

You think you’re alone, but you’re far, far from it. You probably think no one else would rack up debt like you did. Today’s college graduate typically comes into the world with $3k of credit card debt, plus $12k of student loans. The average American has over 8 credit cards in their wallet and only 29% of us can actually pay off the entire balance each month. Find relief by realizing you are like most everyone else. And then seek success by being like no one else: Free from debt.

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