Farming and mental well-being, a hidden challenge for farmers (By Pauline McCarthy)?
Spring is here! One of the sure signs spring has arrived is seeing new-born lambs skip around the field. It’s something we all love to see and watch, whether we are farmers or not. For our farmers, spring is one of the most crucial times of year and one of the busiest times in the farming calendar.
For many livestock farmers, spring sees new life injected into the land. As idyllic as this looks when we see the new-born lambs in the field, it’s not without its challenges. Weeks of sleepless nights supporting and assisting the ewes and lambs is tiring and challenging for the farmers. The success of the lambing period dictates the yearly income for a farm, hence why it’s vital that the lambing season is successful, as too many losses can have huge financial implications for the year ahead.
All farmers regardless of the type of farming they practice, face challenges. One that is not always highlighted is the challenge farmers can face with their mental well-being. Mental well-being is something we as a society still have difficulty talking about, and this is particularly true in the farming community. We are all vulnerable to poor mental well-being however some of us may be more vulnerable than others. Certain occupational groups are deemed to be at higher risk of poor mental health, with farmers being one of them. Protect Life Two (Department of Health, 2016) is the suicide prevention strategy for Northern Ireland. Within the report people living in rural communities and those that farm have been identified as a population with risk factors for suicide.
Farming is an isolated occupation with farmers exposed to high rates of stress. Working hours are not set or protected. Farmers do not receive the holidays, sick leave or rest days that are part of some other occupations. Farming can be unpredictable with substantial financial instability in an ever-changing economic climate. Brexit and the uncertainty about impacts on farming, has created significant stress to our farmers lately. The growing support for veganism has also portrayed farming in a negative light with negative media coverage which unfortunately does not represent our farmers and the work they do on daily basis to feed the nation. Now 2020 has thrown another set of challenges at farmers, with the Covid-19 pandemic. For some farmers this has however meant more people have shopped local and supported local produce which has helped support the industry.
As well as the risk factors described above, such as social isolation and financial uncertainty, farmers also have easy access to, firearms and pesticides with farming as an occupation having one of the highest suicide rates. Farmers account for the largest number of suicides amongst any single occupational group in the UK (Gregoire, 2002). The rates of suicide among UK farmers suggest that they may experience greater mental health problems than the general population (Hounsome et al., 2012). Hawton et al., (1998) investigated the methods used for suicide by famers in England and Wales. Of the 702 deaths recorded for farmers who died by to suicide, 40 percent involved fire arms. This is substantially higher than the general population. As nurses in practice we need to be aware of this risk.
It’s important to highlight the challenges farmers face and the importance of the work they do in providing the nation with fresh, local produce. Organisations such as Rural Support have been instrumental in supporting and highlighting the need for farmers to look after their mental well-being.
As mental health nurses, it is important to be aware of the occupational risks to mental well-being, and in rural Northern Ireland, farmers are an important group to consider in this respect. The enduring taboos around mental well-being can prevent people seeking help and taking time off can be very detrimental for farming incomes. Yet we know early intervention is important to protect and maintain mental wellness and to avoid mental health crises that can lead to suicidal ideation and behaviour. Hopefully this short blog will help to raise awareness of the range of pressures farmers can face, and potentially help those in caring roles to promote the right type of support, if and when farmers do go in seek of mental health support. We can be there for farmers, whether the season is spring, summer, autumn or winter.
