Education and online therapy are tools to help prevent farmer suicide, and farmers respond to it well, study shows

Natural Resouces Conservation Service photo via Successful Farming

Unpredictable weather, crop diseases, financial problems, and isolation: America's farmers have pressures that can lead to mental-health stress and suicide. And while there is no "silver bullet," community and farmer education, plus online therapy, may help head off that devastating choice, reports Courtney Love of Successful Farming: "The high rate of farmer suicide means that many rural communities have a mental crisis on their hands, says Jeff Winton, a rural upstate New York dairy farmer and founder of Rural Minds, a non-profit mental health organization. Winton, who recently lost his nephew to suicide, says the loss was unexpected as he and his nephew worked together on Winton's dairy farm. . . . Farming communities should not only learn when someone needs to talk but also know their resources to guide those needing support."

While many farmers share similar stressors, each handles problems their own way, so it's hard to predict which can lead to the saddest of outcomes. "Winton believes that farmers should be more open about depression, mental health, offer a listening ear, or help a struggling farmer connect with a mental-health professional," Love writes. "Compared to urban areas, most rural areas that offer mental health services lack a choice in providers, says the National Institute of Mental Health. The limited number of resources strengthens the stigma that marks mental health in rural communities, and people can often feel ashamed to seek the help they need, says Winton."

Researcher Rebecca Purc-Stephenson of the University of Alberta "found that farmers often denounce therapy as a waste of time," Love reports. "Cynthia Beck, a psychology professor at the University of Regina in Canada [and a beef farmer], disagrees. . . . Beck recently finished a clinical study asking if agricultural producers would engage in online therapy. Around 30 Canadian farmers participated in a five-lesson eight-week course with do-it-yourself guides and an option to access a therapist via email or telephone. Beck hypothesized that 25% of the 30 farmers would drop out of the course. . . . To her surprise, her study saw that farmers had an 82% completion rate compared to the general population in the clinical research study, which had a 31% dropout rate."

Beck told Love, "Producers told us they felt like they were speaking with a peer or friends because they felt the program completely understood them. . . . One participant said engaging in the course gave them more confidence and improved their overall view of help-seeking." Love reports, "Beck also found that farmers were interested in course materials. About 90% of the farmers download all 20 guides from the course, says Beck. Farmers also said they wanted more time with the course's therapist. . . . . Beck says the study proved that online therapy is a usable psychological intervention tool for farmers. Farmers expressed the course was worth their time and helped them feel less anxious and depressed."

For Beck's study, "The only limitation was broadband access," Love reports. "One farmer reported that he finished the course from the seat of his combine on his smartphone." The help site itself was easy to use. Beck told Love, "This farmer told us, 'There was a next button, a previous button, and a skip button. . . . If you can auto steer a tractor, then I am sure you could run the site.'"