A study out of the University of Guelph has determined that farmers are among the " most vulnerable when it comes to mental health."
In a press release from the university details of the survey are explained. 1,100 farmers participated across Canada, answering questions about mental health.
“Stress, anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion and burnout are all higher among farmers than among other groups” reads the release.
Early findings of the study also show that Canadian farmers are more stressed then farmers in other countries.
Prof. Andria Jones-Bitton, a professor in the Department of Population Medicine, looked at the responses of participants.
“Some of the producer comments leave little doubt about the impact their job and culture is having on them,” Jones-Bitton said in the press release.
“One said, ‘We are not invincible, but we feel we must be’. Another said, ‘What makes me the most upset is that I have everything I dreamed of – love, family and a farm – and all I feel is overwhelmed, out of control and sad.’”
The survey concluded that just under 60 per cent of farmers experienced varying levels of anxiety, 45 per cent had high stress levels and 35 per cent suffered from depression.
“Overall, that’s two to four times higher than farmers studied in the United Kingdom and Norway,” Jones-Bitton said.
Other numbers from the survey highlighted that farmers experienced emotional exhaustion and cynicism.
“Indeed, in agriculture, a stigma is associated with mental health treatment,” Jones-Bitton said.
According to the study 40 per cent of respondents are not OK with getting professional help because of stigmas associated with mental health and “what people might think.”
Another problem is mentioned is that less than half of those who participated in the survey believe that there is adequate support from the farming industry regarding mental health.
The good news is that more than three-quarters of respondents said that professional mental services “can be helpful in times of struggle”, and that they would reach out for help if needed.
Because of that Jone-Bitton is moving forward, building a team to tackle mental health literacy training programs for farmers.
The aim is to train people to be able to “recognize and respond” to mental health issues in the provinces agricultural sector.
“We need to do something,” she says. “Farmers want help, and we’re going to find ways for them to receive it.”
