Rural mental health: Call for more rural psychologists to help farmers

Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford. Photo / Marika Khabazi, RNZ

By Alexa Cook of RNZ

While many farmers are feeling good about record meat and dairy prices, mental health is still a massive issue, with disproportionately high suicide statistics in rural areas.

Depression is something Federated Farmers president Wayne Langford is familiar with, after his own battle began eight years ago.

“It’s amazing how it creeps in,” he said.

“It affects your farm, your family and your entire life.

“I describe it creeping in like a fog - all of a sudden you find yourself in a bit of a mess and you need help to get out.”

Langford is grateful for the support his wife wrapped around him, and urges other farmers in his situation to reach out.

“The key for me was getting off-farm, spending time with kids and family,” he said.

The sector is welcoming a $3 million funding boost for the Rural Support Trust over four years to improve access to mental health services, but it has sparked calls for more clinical psychologists in rural areas.

Clinical psychologist Sarah Donaldson told RNZ that through her work with the trust, she sees high demand from the farming sector.

“Our largest proportion for referrals is distress, from mild through to acutely suicidal,” she said.

“There are greater risk factors in the rural sector, unfortunately - huge workloads, isolation, work and home are all wrapped up in one bundle and there’s lots riding on it.”

The Rural Support Trust helps farmers access the help they need, which Donaldson describes as a “lifesaving” service.

But she’s worried about a shortage of specialists in rural areas, such as clinical psychologists.

“We need more people that have some clinical training that can be attached to rural support or do outreach services,” she said.

“There are people scattered around the country, but there’s no specific channel to train in rural mental health currently.”

Clinical psychologist Sarah Donaldson. Photo / RNZ, Marika Khabazi

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey assured RNZ the Government was working on a workforce plan in a bid to reduce wait times for patients needing mental health services, which he said would also have an impact in rural communities.

“But let’s be very clear, one of the biggest barriers to people accessing timely mental health and addiction support is too many workforce vacancies,” Doocey said.

He said a key factor was the lack of clinical internship placements.

“Sadly, only up to a couple of years ago, there was only 30 clinical internship places a year,” he said.

“We’ve committed to doubling that, growing it by 100% to up to 80 placements by 2027.”

The new funding for the Rural Support Trust is on top of another $3 million over the next four years allocated through the Ministry for Primary Industries, and $2 million of health funding is being invested in the Rural Wellbeing Fund.

Rural Support Trust chair Michelle Ruddell said the farming sector had been calling for this for years.

“We are immensely grateful for the funding, and it means our rural people will be better supported,” she said.

“We are going to be able to deliver our core work - it’s one-on-one, free, impartial and at a time and place that suits them.”

Ruddell described the demand for their services as “huge” and said a key part of the work was getting farmers to speak up when they needed help.

“Looking after our mental health is really hard and it often gets left behind - our rural people not only struggle to ask for help on a day-to-day basis, but actually don’t often ask for help very often for their own wellbeing,” she said.

It’s a challenge the group is up for; they’re determined to reach more farmers in every nook and cranny of Aotearoa.

- RNZ