On the Farm: Lack of resources hindering mental healthcare for farmers and agricultural workers

MACON, Ga. (WGXA)- Researchers at the University of Georgia report one of the biggest obstacles for farmers and agricultural workers receiving the mental healthcare they need is a lack of resources.

Dr. Christina Proctor is one of UGA’s team of researchers working to understand and prevent suicides among farmers and ag workers.

“We also need to advocate for more mental healthcare resources in rural areas. It is a real need. If we have farmers who want to talk about mental health or admit they that need help, and then there’s no resources, then there’s really not a lot that we can do there,” Proctor said.

Proctor said that when farmers and ag workers do seek help for mental healthcare issues, most of them start with their primary physicians.

She said physicians who work in rural areas need to offer as much understanding as possible when addressing concerns of farmers and ag workers.

“What we found is our farmer were seeing significant barriers. Not only did they have to drive several counties over to get help, they also reported physicians who didn’t really understand what it was like to be a farm owner or farmer worker,” Proctor said. “You know, doctors telling them to take two to three weeks [off] for an injury or an illness, and that’s something that a farmer couldn’t do. So they were less likely to go back and seek help if they felt like their physicians or the people that they reached out to didn’t really understand the work that they were doing.”

Proctor also said that people who work in occupations that interact often with farmers might benefit from some mental health training.

“I think people who working closely with farmers, [such as] veterinarians, extension agents, bankers, farmer equipment dealers, people working in local feed and seed stores, should consider getting training in mental health first aid, so they can be able to recognize somebody who might be experiencing a mental health issue,” Proctor said. “Because those are the people who are working with our farmers the most and they’re working closely with them. And they might be able to see signs of somebody who is having mental health issues and they could help them if they’ve had that mental health training or at least direct them to appropriate resources.”

However, even people who do not work directly with farmers can contribute to their well-being, Proctor said, by not creating additional stressors for them.

“In the interviews that we conducted, a lot of our farmers talked about not feeling appreciated. People honking their horns at them when they’re on their tractors driving down the road and yelling at them for just trying to do their job,” Proctor said. “We had farmers who were publicly embarrassed on social media because their livestock and their goats had gotten out.”

Above all, Proctor said farmers and ag workers must be good to themselves and seek help if they feel troubled.

“I grew up in a rural, agricultural town and farmers were my neighbors and they would rush if anything happened to me or if anything happened at our home. And, I just want farmers to have and try to be as compassionate with themselves as they are with other people,” said Proctor. “I’m getting emotional because they are very compassionate with each other. But when it comes to taking care of themselves, that’s something that they often put on the backburner. So, I would like them to know that they can take care of themselves the way they take care of us and to know that there’s help available to them and it’s okay to admit that you need help.”

Should you or a loved one need immediate help, call or text 988. That's the number of the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline where trained professionals are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They know how to assist someone who is facing an immediate mental health crisis.