Suicide in agriculture.

We don’t talk about suicide as much as we need to, as much as we should.

It’s hard. Painful. Heart wrenching. Tragic. And scary. As I’m typing this post, my hands are shaking. /1

I’ve read studies that share farmers are 2-5x more likely to die by suicide than the general population. That’s hard. Painful. Tragic. & scary.

We need to talk about suicide more. We need to break the silence & stigma around it. We need to do more than post crisis hotlines. /2

Suicide prevention has many stages that are life saving, but more often in society mental health is only prioritized when it’s at a critical stage. There’s so much we can do early on too, as a community, you and me: /3

We need to provide mental health education early on so we can learn strategies & tools to combat stress, anxiety & depression. We need to make this training available to our communities.

@domoreag with @FCCagriculture has a program to bring training at zero cost to farmers /4

We need to be kind to ourselves and each other. Less shaming and ridiculing, using mental health as a joke and competition so when someone needs help they don’t withdraw and feel worthless and a burden. /5

We need to not prioritize productivity as #1 and disregard our mental health until the point of burnout, exhaustion and illness. We need to put our oxygen masks on first. /6

We need to remove barriers to mental health services and support that prevent people from getting help (financial, rural, stigma, etc) /7

We need to break the silence and stigma. We need to help and encourage those around us to open up, add hope, meaning and purpose, and to know it’s okay to not be okay. /8

What would you like to see the ag industry do more around suicide prevention?

Education, awareness, workshops and resources around mental health in ag are available at @domoreag

#suicidepreventionmonth