Washington: A whopping 80 per cent of panic-stricken Americans, especially women, are lying awake at night, feeling angry or stressed about their personal finances and the battered economy, according to a nationwide annual survey.

The survey conducted by the American Psychological Association showed that as many as 80 per cent of Americans are stressed about their personal finances and the economy.

Top sources of stress in previous years were personal finances, work and issues related to raising children, said Katherine Nordal, the association s executive director for professional practice.

"This year, ... The No. 1 concern is both money and the economy," she said. "In my 30 years of experience, in the past, this was not the thing that would be high in complaint lists. Most people are driven to counselling because of relationship problems with marriage and children, depression and anxiety.

"But what we re seeing today is that the economy and finances are viewed as significantly more stressful, by more than 8 out of 10 Americans," she was quoted as saying by CNN.

Nearly 7,000 Americans responded to the survey between April and September this year. Within five months, anxiety about the economy had jumped from 66 per cent to 80 per cent.

The poll was conducted before the passage of the USD 700 billion bailout bill by the US Congress last week.
Source : PTI