Stress-related health conditions, mental illness and suicide rates have been higher in agriculture than in other industries for decades.
Yet, rural areas don’t always have the resources to get people the help and support they need.
A newly formed alliance aims to fill that gap.
The Ohio Agricultural Mental Health Alliance is a collaboration between agriculture organizations, like the Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio State Extension and the Ohio Department of Agriculture, and health agencies, including the Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation.
Together, these groups are trying to break down barriers to mental health care in Ohio’s agricultural communities.
“To be able to bring those two groups together, to have these meaningful conversations about what's stressing farmers out and then the actual mental health aspect is going to take us a long way,” said Ty Higgins, senior director of communications and media relations for the Ohio Farm Bureau.
Stress on the farm
Farming is a particularly stressful profession, Higgins said, because so many aspects of the job are unpredictable.
“You're dealing with Mother Nature, the markets, equipment breakdowns, crop failures, family matters,” he said. “All those things can really add up.”
These are issues farmers have been dealing with for generations, Higgins said, and that shows.
Source: ideastream.org
Photo Credit: gettyimages-hirurg
Categories: Ohio, General