PLASTIC money may make spending easier, but it can also make life depressing for over-spenders. A habitual problem can become a financial crisis for some. A spokesman for Hongkong Bank's Customer Services Department said that if a credit card bill was not paid on the due date, the bank offered a range of services to help. That meant either a loan or an extension of credit. As a last resort, the credit card would be cancelled and a debt collecting agency may be called in. Mira Chandra, of Marriage and Personal Counselling, said that each year the service had to deal with four or five people who exceeded their spending limit. She said most people learned to cope with the debt burden through the help of support networks, but that the counselling service offered help according to clear guidelines. ''Firstly, we look for a practical solution,'' Ms Chandra said. ''We help people to draw up sensible budgets, and look at luxuries that they may be able to do without. ''Then we discuss their personal problems to see if a change in their lifestyles is possible. Quite often compulsive spending is just a reflection of a deeper problem,'' she said. Karol Misso, director of Saint John's Counselling Service, said few people viewed debt as their principal problem. He said: ''We see many expatriates and most of them have sufficient funds to support even a dysfunctional life-style. Whatever other problems they may have, a lack of credit is not often one of them.'' Mr Misso said debt was usually a contributing factor to a more serious problem, or a symptom of dysfunctional behaviour - such as drinking, drugs or gambling. When debt was a major part of the problem, Mr Sisso said the counselling service concentrated on ''life-skills training or self-management training''.