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Crops break ground in Co Kildare. Farming can be a lonely and isolating activity, according to researchers. Eamonn Farrell Photocall Ireland

One-in-three Irish farmers don't share their problems

Isolation and loneliness among farmers can make them more vulnerable to mental health issues, says study.

ALMOST ONE IN three members of the farming community don’t tell anyone about their personal problems and difficulties, according to a study commissioned by the Irish Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy.

The research, which looked at farmer’ attitudes to mental health problems, backed up previous findings from other studies which showed that Irish farmers hide mental health problems from friends.

According to the IACP, not sharing these problems can make a bad situation worse, especially when people live far away from their neighbors.

“Bottling up personal problems can lead to physical and mental ill health, especially where people live in more isolated communities” said Dr. Harry Barry, a GP from Drogheda who works with mental health charity Aware. “I would urge everyone to discuss their problems with a friend or family member, or their GP. Treatments don’t have to involve medication.”

The Irish Farmers Association said it was not surprised by the results of the study.

“By its nature farming is very isolating” Margaret Healy, Chairperson of the National Farm Family & Social Policy Committee at the IFA told thejournal.ie.

The countryside might be more built up but there are less neighbors as a lot are now commuting to work. There might be no-one in the house from seven in the morning until seven in the evening which means that farming is even more of a lonely occupation than it was before.

According to the study, 86 per cent of farmers have never attended a Counsellor or Psychotherapist while one-in-five members of the farming community would feel embarrassed if people knew they were attending a counsellor or psychotherapist.

However, because of the sharp economic downturn, the recession had offered a silver lining for many people, said Healy.

“People are realisng they need people. When we had money and had material wealth, it was a situation of ‘ah sure, i dont need anyone’. Many now see that they need to talk rather than just putting their hand up to say hi and driving by. We’re trying to send out the message that you need to talk to someone. A problem shared is a problem halved.”

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    Mute Denise Friary
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 3:28 PM

    Only for the farmers there would be no food on the table. Maybe a helpline might be a solution.

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    Mute john cleary
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 5:01 PM

    Some stupid comments here, trotting out the usual ignorant bias.

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    Mute Anthony O'Brien
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 9:46 PM

    You got there before me John.

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    Mute Monica Conway
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 7:20 PM

    Farmers lead a lonely isolated life, imagine working on your own day in day out. That isolation certainly must lead to some form of loneliness which often develops on to full blown depression. I’m sure that suicide is fairly elevated in the rural farming community, but suicide is always kept “hush hush” and I am wondering if this is a good thing or not. By the way I am not a farmer!

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    Mute Vinny Healy
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 9:09 PM

    Jaysus Monica you make the farming community sound a bit odd. Maybe a bit deliverance type maybe.

    Not a farmer but know plenty of them and I don’t think the problems are as bad as all that

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    Mute Sean Mc Avinue
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 10:32 PM

    Well said Monica

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    Mute John O'Neill
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 3:27 PM

    They’re human like the rest of us…so what?

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    Mute Sluazcanal
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 3:39 PM

    A very flippant comment about mental health, the “so what” part I mean. I think its just an article about farmers and is not a dig at the general population.

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    Mute John O'Neill
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 4:05 PM

    @sluazcanal
    Sorry if it read as flippant to you. What I actually meant was that all strata of society suffer from stress, loneliness, lack of money and employment and other mental and emotional problems, not just farmers.

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    Mute Sluazcanal
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 5:55 PM

    No worries John I see how you meant it now that you explained it.

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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 3:29 PM

    As much as one in three? That sounds considerably better than the general population.

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    Mute mrnobody
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 4:10 PM

    Ground breaking study there…

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    Mute Mary Fitzsimons
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 7:09 PM

    I wish i was a farmer!

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    Mute Ben Mc Loughlin
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 4:41 PM

    That’s because they have none!

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    Mute Simon Blake
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 4:27 PM

    …or their honest financial position.

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    Mute Mark Larson
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    Aug 24th 2012, 3:32 PM

    Sounds like most of the population

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    Mute Kev Mak
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    Aug 23rd 2012, 11:30 PM

    Maybe the ‘one in three’ are single, thus ‘two in three’ are married or have some family within earshot to ‘share’. The artical doesnt state how much was ,in my humble opinio n, wasted, in garnering this information.Im sure more people would be shocked at the cost of the study and question this as opposed to the hard hitting study that people, indeed,farmers,are also human and suffer the same frailties as ‘normal’ folk!

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