The independent financial comparison website says 13 per cent of adults have asked for help to control their borrowing as economic worries have prompted them to cut back on loans, credit cards and mortgages.
But there are signs that people who are most concerned about their debt problems are not seeking advice early enough - 51 per cent of those who say they are very concerned about their ability to manage their debts have not sought help.
MoneyExpert.com is urging people who are concerned about their ability to manage their debts to get help as soon as possible and not to wait until they start missing repayments.
Its research shows 30 per cent of adults are concerned about their ability to manage their personal debt.
Sean Gardner, Director of MoneyExpert.com, said; "Debt has been the ticking timebomb in the UK economy for the past few years with regular warnings that it's about to go off. The fear must be that 2009 will see the explosion.
"The Council of Mortgage Lenders is warning about rising home repossessions and the banks are reporting growing levels of bad debts as customers fall behind on repayments.
"The fact that one in eight adults has sought debt help shows that debt advice is a growing industry and demonstrates that there is help out there. We'd advise everyone who is concerned to seek help early.
"There is plenty of good advice out there from debt counselling charities to services such as ours which can help point you in the right direction. Don't bury your head in the sand."
Around 27.4 million people who have ever had debt say they have never asked for advice about managing the money they owe. Some 82 per cent of people with debts either feel in control of their cash or are burying their heads in the sand, MoneyExpert.com believes.
Women are more likely to seek advice than men and young people are least likely to turn for help, with just five per cent of 18 to 24 year olds claiming to have spoken to a person or organisation about managing debts.
MoneyExpert.com recently revealed in further research that despite the economic slowdown now hitting household finances across the country 27% of people owing money have gone further into the red in the three months to December 1st.
Sean Gardner added: "Interest rates are falling fast and you'd think borrowing would be cheaper than ever. But the fact is lenders are in dire straits and their number one priority is recovering bad debt - which is not good news for borrowers looking for a bit of leeway as times get tough."
