Home

State AgrAbility Projects

AgrAbility Quarterly

Assistive Technology Resources

Assistive Technology Database

Resources

National AgrAbility Workshop (2001 - 2008)

Archive

Contact Us

AgrAbility Site Search

Download PowerPoint Viewer
(Windows only)

Site Translation Help
(Ayuda para traducción de sitios)

---

Promoting Success in Agriculture for People with Disabilities and Their Families

---

July 2003, Vol.3, No. 6

Table of Contents at bottom

Focus – Mental Health

Over 44 million people (one in five) in any given year suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder. Depressive disorders alone affect 9.5% of the U.S. population and 4 out of 10 causes of disability are mental health disorders; specifically major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder¹. While mental health disorders occur at the same rate in urban and rural areas, suicides are higher in rural communities².

In a survey of state and local rural health leaders, mental health was the fourth most often selected topic as a high rural health priority. Yet, access to mental health care is limited due to shortages in staff and in an inadequate mental health service infrastructure. Traveling great distances to get services, the perceived stigma, and under-diagnosis by primary care physicians only confound the development of needed services³.

What is Mental Health?

Mental health is a relative state of mind in which a person who is healthy is able to cope with and adjust, in an acceptable way, to the recurrent stresses of everyday living.

Mental health problems are signs and symptoms affecting thinking, mood, or behavior but are not as intense or lasting in duration so as to meet the criteria for diagnosis as a mental disorder. Almost everyone, at some point, has experienced mental health problems in which the distress one feels affects their functioning ability.

Mental health disorders or illness are health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning. Usually these conditions have persisted for a significant period of time.

Causes of Mental Health Disorders

Precise causes of most mental health disorders are unknown. The interplay between biological (e.g., genes, infections, physical trauma, nutrition, hormones, and toxins), psychological (e.g., stressful life events, affect, personality, and gender), and socio-cultural factors (e.g., parents; socioeconomic status; racial, cultural, and religious background; and interpersonal relationships) may contribute to the development of a disorder.

Agriculture and Stress

Today’s farmers and ranchers face numerous situations that could lead to stress. Left unchecked, these stress factors have the potential to develop into serious and persistent physical and/or mental health problems, even suicide.

Roger Williams, a University of Wisconsin-Extension professor of professional development and applied studies, says symptoms of farm stress might include the following:

• Change in routines. The farmer or farm family stops attending church; drops out of 4-H, homemakers, or other groups; or no longer stops in at the local coffee shop or feed mill.
• Increase in illness. Farmers or farm family members may experience more colds or flu or have other chronic conditions, such as aches, pains, or a persistent cough.
• Appearance of farmstead declines. The farm family no longer takes pride in the way farm buildings and grounds look or keeps up with maintenance work.
• Care of livestock declines. Cattle may not be cared for in the usual way; they may lose condition, appear gaunt, or show signs of neglect or physical abuse.
• Increase in farm incidents. The risk of farm incidents increases due to fatigue or loss of ability to concentrate. Children may be at risk if there is not adequate childcare.
• Children show signs of stress. Farm children may act out, decline in academic performance, or be increasingly absent from school. They may also show signs of physical abuse or neglect.

Stress Management

Learning how to manage stress may relieve some of the symptoms a farmer, rancher, or other family member is experiencing. To manage stress, you must first recognize that you are experiencing it. Professor Williams offers a checklist below to help evaluate whether stress is present. The more stress indicators you check, the greater the likelihood that stress may be affecting your functioning ability.

Once you recognize symptoms of stress, try to determine the probable causes. Is it something that you may have control over; for example, lack of help with care giving or farm financial counseling? Or is it something that you have to accept and move beyond; such as, low commodity prices or bad weather? Focus your attention on those aspects or situations you can manage. Try to be realistic about yourself and your agricultural operation. You may not have the answers to everything and may need to ask for help.

Planning ahead is an excellent way to alleviate stress or potential stress. Stress heightens during periods of heavy workloads, such as, planting and harvesting seasons.

• Prepare your farm machinery before your busiest seasons so that it runs more efficiently and safely.
• Exercise during the off-season so that your body can handle the strenuous, longer workdays.
• Plan your nutrition and fluid intake so that you avoid the coffee/soda pop/candy bar habit. Drink 64 ounces of water each day.
• Learn as much as you can about your industry. You are never too old to learn and will have equipped yourself with better information for planning and decision-making.
• Do not ignore your paperwork. This will keep you in control and reduce confusion and frustration.
• Other ideas to help reduce stress include; get enough sleep, take a brisk walk early in the day, laugh (usually best when shared with others), schedule family talk times so that you can prioritize and coordinate family commitments with work schedules.
• Avoid increased alcohol, drug, and tobacco use. These short-term solutions rarely live up to your expectations.

Medical Treatment

Sometimes stress management isn’t quite enough. Medical treatment may be necessary. What kind of treatment depends on the type and severity of the mental health problem or disorder. Most treatments fall under two general categories; psychosocial and pharmacological. The combination of the two can sometimes be even more effective than each individually.

Psychosocial therapy is accomplished through verbal communication with a professional counselor or therapist. The goal of the therapy, generally, is self-understanding, change in actions/behavior, and/or development of healthier problem-solving skills. Counselors and therapist can be in medical clinics, mental health centers, or in private practice.

Pharmacological therapies use prescription medications to control the symptoms of the mental problem or disorder. The types of medications used can be divided into four large categories; anti-psychotic, anti-manic, anti-depressant, and anti-anxiety medications⁵. Your doctor or psychiatrist would prescribe the appropriate medication for your particular problem or disorder.

Innovative Mental Health Outreach Programs for Farmers and Ranchers

Sowing Seeds of Hope: The “Sowing the Seeds of Hope” project is a seven-state, federally funded effort to help farm families respond to stress in appropriate ways. The following states have projects: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. The services offered may include outreach; community education; training of health care providers; direct services to farmers/ranchers through counseling vouchers, hotlines, retreats, and support groups; and advocacy with community and governmental entities. For more information, visit www.agriwellness.org.

Farm Resource Center: Illinois, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania started a nonprofit farm resource centers to provide farmers with links to mental health services. Using a grassroots’ approach, outreach workers provide farmers with stress management strategies, connect them with community resources, and manage a hotline service. For more information, visit www.frci.org.