It's always the poor people who feel so guilty if they have a debt that they cannot pay. Lots of wealthy people have blown off debt at difficult times in their life, and they don't carry the guilt that you have. There is an old saying that most self-made millionaires have declared bankruptcy at least twice in their lives. It's not true of everybody, but it is true of an awful lot of people . . . . and they lose no sleep over it. Look at those big banks and financial companies that got those big bailouts from the federal government. Nobody at those companies is losing sleep about being financially irresponsible on such a huge scale that they ruined people's lives. So cut yourself a break . . . . you didn't ruin anyone's life.

Here is my advice for how to stop feeling bad. Ask yourself if you committed any fraud. Never lie on any application for credit. If you have never lied, then, in the eyes of the law, you have done absolutely nothing wrong.

A lot of credit is given to poor people by banks and big retailers (like Walmart) that they know darn good and well are risky loans. Morally, a lot of these loans/credit should never have been given to consumers in the first place. I'm talking about credit that is given to poor people by firms that know they are helping people to get into debt that they can't afford to be in. They do it to collect big interest rates. Sometimes they do it just to be able to put it down as an asset on their balance sheet, even when they know a lot of this debt will never be paid off. (If you owe a company money, that debt is an asset to the company. It makes the company look richer than before they loaned you the credit.) Those are the parties who should be feeling guilty. When and if it becomes clear that you are never going to pay them off, then they have to take it off their books, which makes them look poorer on paper. As long as they can get you to make any kind of payment, they can keep it on their books as an asset. So they are motivated to go keep you making any kind of payment, so they can avoid or postpone the day when they have to write it off as a loss. That's why I say they are lucky to be getting that $15 per month.

You should not borrow money to buy consumer goods that you cannot afford. Medical care is a whole other matter. When you are sick and need medical care, you have a right to try to get it. If you can't pay the bills later, that is nothing to feel guilty about. Every emergency room has a sign up that says you have a right to emergency care regardless of your ability to pay. That's the law of the land. The facility that you went to would not have given you the care you got, if they didn't think it was necessary.

To be honest, I am inclined to agree with Hellion, about whether you should even be sending in that $15 per month. Your grandmother probably has more of a right to that $15 than the party you are sending it to.

You say that "It feels nearly unfair." If you educate yourself about what the law actually requires of you, you'll find that it actually is pretty fair. (At least I think so.) The law doesn't say you have to pay this debt in your current circumstances. Unless your car is a band new custom Lamorghini, the law doesn't expect you to sell it to pay your debt either. The law doesn't say you have to live on rice and beans and never buy yourself some new underwear. The law says that you should spend your disability check on the basic needs you have and stop worrying. The law even puts up a statute of limitations that means this dept will someday disappear.

The debt collectors calling you up aren't going to tell you what your rights are. Even that is fair. It's not their job to educate you. That's your job.

By the way, someday, if you are in better circumstances, you will be able to borrow money again. You won't get the lowest interest rate available, and that's fair too. Actually, you'ld be very surprised at how much credit is available to people with bad credit scores. So don't worry about your credit score. Just live honestly, never lie on any application for credit, and don't go trying to get credit for consumer goods that you really can't afford. In a few years, Walmart will be very happy to give you a few hundred dollars of credit. For some purchases, you won't even have to pay interest. That's how "fair" the system is.

Lastly, if you get sick, whether with psych issues or other medical problems, go to the hospital/clinic and get the care you need. Thanks to Obamacare, you should be eligible for some type of coverage. If not, then that is more the fault of your state than of you. So don't feel guilty. Until you are eligible for Medicare (2 years after you were granted disabiltiy), go get on Medicaid. If your state doesn't have an expanded Medicaid plan that will take you, then the hospitals you go to should be mad at your state politicians, not at you. Medicaid can even be retroactive to some extent. So go to your Income Support office and look into it. That is your fair obligation . . . . not paying medical bills you can't afford.