Up till now no research has been undertaken into the psycho-social changes in a private person's living conditions, following that same person's bankruptcy. To chart out, albeit in a limited way, severity and extent of these psycho-social consequences a small investigation has been carried out into the experiences of eight people after each of them had been declared `bankrupt'. Out of these eight people, seven appear to meet the criteria of a condition known as `post-traumatic stress disorder'. The most occuring complaints are vital exhaustion, depression and anxiety.