Joint call for urgent action to address suicide in rural areas

The spectre of suicide still looms large in rural New South Wales, with areas outside Sydney suffering twice the suicide rates of the capital.

It’s a tragedy not lost on Frontier Services, a Uniting Church charity that ministers to rural and remote areas, which cites that the distance to mental health services and more isolated existence in rural areas exacerbate mental health problems.

Frontier Services’ Bush Chaplain Noel Williams, says that there is a real urgency to addressing this issue in the rural areas, so that more men feel they are supported and have somewhere to turn to.

“Issues in the bush revolve around how people cope with grief and loss.

“Many struggle with mental health, falling into deep rabbit holes of isolation.

“For some, opening up about their struggles feels like a double-edged sword, and seeking help can be vital, yet it also comes with challenges.”

Third generation Inverell Farmer Paul McCosker is one of those who have been affected by rural suicide, having lost his son, Joshua, after Joshua’s marriage began to crumble, and says he feels responsible.

“I blame myself. If there was anything that I could have done, I would have,” McCosker said.

Frontier Services’ call for better mental health for rural communities comes as the National Farmers’ Federation issued a statement demanding better mental health care in agriculture.

The joint statement, released ahead of both the Federal budget and the looming election, is from a coalition of more than 30 companies, non-profits, peak bodies, and other organisations demanding Federal support.

The NFF has convened a steering committee into agricultural mental health, and is calling for concrete action from the Federal government.

One of the members of the steering committee is Dr. Kate Gunn, an Associate Professor at the University of South Australia, a clinical psychologist – and the daughter of a farming family, who’s brother is still on the land.

Dr. Gunn is also the founder of iFarmwell, an online mental health toolkit that helps farmers look out for their mental health – the committee was born out of a meeting between the NFF and iFarmwell five years ago.

“In other industries, they have industry-based approaches to preventing suicide and ensuring mental health wellbeing,” Dr. Gunn said.

“I’d like to see an investment in agriculture the same way.”

Industries like construction and fishing both have industry-specific mental health initiatives, and it’s something Dr. Gunn would like something similar for farming, and Dr. Gunn has also been travelling the world, looking at initiatives from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and elsewhere for ideas.

Dr. Gunn and NFF, and their coalition of groups, are calling on the Federal government – no matter who it may be – to fund a nationwide rollout of education campaigns that equip farmers with meaningful strategies to maintain mental health wellbeing and reach out if necessary, a farmer-friendly mental health helpline that’s staffed by both actual farmers and mental health professionals, and a comprehensive evaluation of the strategies to maximise the effect of the initiative.

“We’ve asked for $50 million over five years,” Dr. Gunn said.

“We know funding’s tight, and we’d like to see it maximised.”

Key to such a program’s success is breaking the stigma of seeking mental health treatment – and having appropriate healthcare in place to help those who do reach out, as well as raising awareness of the issue, and Dr. Gunn praised the film Just A Farmer by Walcha’s own Leila McDougall as a key part of raising awareness.

“The goal is for farmers’ well-being-limiting assumptions to be challenged, social norms shifted, and a culture of openness promoted,” Dr. Gunn said, “so that farmers have permission to invest time in their own wellbeing and resilience, to support each other and to reach out for appropriate professional help if necessary.”

Any initiative must be coordinated, farmer-friendly, and evidence-based, Dr. Gunn says, and while there are a myriad small, independent organisations championing the cause of farmers’ mental health and offering support, what’s needed is a coordinated, nationwide program.

NFF and Dr. Gunn have been campaigning for the past three years for funding, and hopes to make farmers’ mental health an election and budgetary issue, and would love to see Barnaby Joyce get on board.

NFF President David Jochinke said that “A farmer’s greatest asset isn’t their land, livestock or produce.

“It’s their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people around them,” Mr Jochinke said.

“It’s clear the unique mental health needs in agriculture are not being met by existing services and we need Government to give us a leg up so we can turn these devastating statistics around.”