​Farmer mental health focus of new University of Guelph course

The University of Guelph is piloting a course this fall to try to help farmers recognize and deal with stress, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. 

The hope is to help them pinpoint signs of deteriorating mental health, and how to cope with those changes. 

"The culture in agriculture has been, I'd say, harmful in terms of help-seeking," said Andria Jones-Bitton, who developed the program.

"So we see things like mental illness being discussed as a weakness or as a character flaw, being related to being lazy. And in this population having a strong work ethic is so hugely important," which can be a big barrier for people to ask for help.

"If you think [your mental health struggles] are going to be interpreted as a sign of being lazy, it makes you less likely to seek help for that."

Whole industry, not just farmers

Farming has been identified as one of the professions with the highest rates of suicide, joining lawyers and medical professionals. But health affects more than just their own lives, said PhD candidate Briana Hagen in a news release.

"Farmers are responsible for feeding the world, we need to help take care of their mental wellness," she said.

They hope the course will increase mental health literacy across the farming profession — from agricultural service representatives to veterinarians to farmers themselves. 

"This course is designed to teach people about common mental health conditions, to recognize signs and symptoms that someone is struggling and then to help the participants develop the skills and the confidence to open up a conversation with somebody about their mental health," Jones-Bitton said.

The pilot course will wrap up this coming spring, at which point Jones-Bitton and Hagen will begin work on an online version of the course. 

They're also working on "train-the-trainer" classes, so that eventually farmers will be able to teach it in their own communities.