CALGARY - Canadian farmers and ranchers, beset for decades with disasters from drought to mad cow disease, appear to be suffering more than just financially.
Josephine Smart, a professor of anthropology at the University of Calgary, says those crises may also be taking a toll on mental health. Smart spent months last year living with farm families in northwestern and northeastern Alberta, conducting over 100 interviews to gauge the impact of disasters such as the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in 2003 and the drought of 2006.
"I think we have to look at the issue of cumulative stress," said Smart.
"The effect of stress on farming is not new, but in the event of an intensification of the BSE problem or a new series of problems such as operating costs going up and fuel costs are high -- a lot of them are saying. 'I can't handle it any more."'
Smart is concerned that cumulative stress may lead to increased suicides.
A 2006 study from the Canadian Population Health Initiative found a higher suicide rate among people living in rural settings than among those in urban centres. The risk was highest for those under 20, with rural boys four times and girls six times more likely to commit suicide than their urban counterparts. There were similar findings among adults.
"The rural population is disproportionately represented among the suicide numbers," said Smart. "They have a much higher suicide rate then the urban population, and most of them are men."
Those who make a living in agriculture recognize that disasters are a fact of life and tend to believe they need to carry on no matter what, said Smart.
"They don't recognize that they are stressed out, and when they don't recognize it, they don't seek help," she said.
"Even if they feel they may need some help they are hesitant to make a booking at the local clinic because they don't want other people to know they may have mental problems. They're reluctant to call the hotlines, which are often operated by volunteers, and don't want community members to know they have a problem."
The financial stress on farmers and ranchers isn't likely to abate anytime soon, says a spokesman for the Canadian Cattlemen's Association.
"I would say the current financial crisis in the industry relative to pricing and cost and the erosion of our competitiveness against other countries quite frankly would suggest today is worse than what we went through in 2003 and 2004," said Rob McNabb. "Virtually all sectors are losing money as opposed to one sector being at least profitable. When none of them are making a profit, it just exacerbates the situation."
The stigma associated with mental illness isn't just a rural problem, says Dr. Taylor Alexander, CEO of the Canadian Mental Health Association in Ottawa.
"There is a serious stigma in our society for people who have mental health problems. It's still one of those issues in society where people don't want to talk about it. They don't like to be identified as having a mental health problem, so it tends to stay hidden," said Alexander.
"It is common for people who are experiencing emotional difficulties to not reach out for assistance early enough. They need to be encouraged."
Smart wants the Alberta government and those involved in the mental health field to make it easier for those in rural areas to get help. One idea is to send a video to farm homes outlining the warning signs of stress and where a family can get help.
"It should be addressed to the wife, because the women are more sensitive to the kind of symptoms or problems. And they are more likely to nag their partners to seek help."
