WESTI Ag Days focuses on farmer mental health

WORLAND – This year at WESTI Ag Days in Worland, the serious topic of mental health was discussed, with the help of Darla Tyler-McSherry and her program Ask in Earnest.

Ask in Earnest is an organization put together by Tyler-McSherry, a teacher at Montana State University in Billings. Tyler-McSherry gave a presentation and a workshop on the topic of farmer mental health, as well as suicide in the farm and ranch community.

According to the Ask in Earnest website, Tyler-McSherry started the organization after her father, who was a farmer, took his own life on their family farm in September 2016.

During the presentation, Tyler-McSherry recalled when she was talking on the phone with one of her father’s friends, who said that when her father would see someone in town, he would stop and ask in earnest how they were doing.

Ask in Earnest not only discusses the topic of mental health in farmers, but also how to improve mental health and prevent suicide in the farm and ranch communities.

According to the website, the issue of farming and ranching and suicide is an extremely stressful occupation as raising livestock and growing food as an occupation is becoming more and more difficult.

Some of the reasons for the increased stress and anxiety include unpredictable market prices for crops and livestock, the widening gap between operating costs and revenue, access to fewer health care and mental health care resources – especially in frontier states, reluctance to access health and mental health care, being underinsured or not having health insurance, increasing social isolation and unpredictable weather patterns.

Another reason could be the agrarian imperative theory, “this theory maintains that we have an innate drive to produce goods such as agricultural crops and livestock. When this is threatened, it can put a farmer at tremendous risk for intense stress, depression and possibly suicide. Exposure to substances, insecticides and grain dust can intensely compromise health as well,” according to the Ask in Earnest website.

This unabated difficulty and stress can lead to a sense of hopelessness and possibly suicide.

Suicide is the leading cause of preventable death in Wyoming. According to the Wyoming Department of Health website, the Wyoming suicide rate is consistently higher than the United States’ rate. In 2019, the Wyoming suicide rate was 29.4 per 100,000 compared to the national rate of 14.5 per 100,000.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has identified the following as possible warning signs that a person is at risk for suicide. If a person talks about killing themselves, feeling hopeless, having no reason to live, being a burden for others, feeling trapped and unbearable pain, they may be at risk. The may also increase their use of alcohol or drugs, look for a way to end their lives – such as searching online for methods, they may withdraw from activities, isolate from family and friends, sleeping too much or too little, visiting or calling people to say goodbye, giving away their possessions or displaying aggression and/or fatigue.

According to the Ask in Earnest website, a person at risk for suicide may act depressed, anxious, may experience a loss of interest, may be irritable, feeling humiliation and shame, agitation and anger, or relief and sudden improvement.

The Ask in Earnest website states, “by educating ourselves on the possible risk factors and warning signs, being willing to have candid and compassionate conversations with our loved ones, friends and neighbors, and ‘staying with them’, both literally and figuratively, we can make a difference and save a life.”

During Tyler-McSherry’s workshop on Feb. 15, she discussed ways to help reduce depression.

According to Tyler-McSherry, exercise and sleep are some of the most common ways to combat depression and suicide. By exercising for at least 30 minutes a day by doing aerobic exercises positively impacts brain chemistry. She added that sleep can be a symptom and risk factor for depression. Getting eight hours of sleep a night can also improve brain health, thereby decreasing the risk factor for depression and suicide.

During the presentation, Tyler-Mc Sherry mentioned that farming has the highest rate of suicide per occupation. A few reasons that this could be that she listed was the lack of work/life balance, the economy, grain dust, the stigma around mental health, trauma history, the reluctance to seek mental health services, the use of alcohol as a coping strategy, access to lethal means, high altitude, mental illness, anxiety and stress regarding climate change and social isolation. Tyler-McSherry mentioned that Wyoming as a state has fewer people to draw near to and the second lowest population after Alaska.

Tyler-McSherry added that 90% of those who die by suicide had an undiagnosed and untreated mental health condition, such as depression or alcoholism.

“The good news is that those are treatable,” she said. She also mentioned that if you believe you are experiencing symptoms of depression, as well as other mental illnesses, you should seek professional medical and mental health care.

Some common signs of depression, according to Tyler-McSherry, are loss of interest, low/motivation and energy, sleeping issues, feelings of anxiousness, inability to concentrate, appetite changes, feelings of sadness and hopelessness, anger or irritability, aches, pains and headaches and thoughts of suicide.

Tyler-McSherry also addressed the myths surrounding depression. These myths include that depression is all in your head, that everyone experiences depression the same way, that depression is only brought on by a traumatic event, that depression is the same as being sad, that depression isn’t a big deal and that depression is a sign of weakness. According to Tyler-McSherry, depression can happen to anyone, regardless of what is going on in their lives, and everyone experiences it differently.

During the workshop, Tyler-McSherry also addressed brain health. She explained the differences between different brain chemicals such as endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. She explained that endorphins are the body’s natural reward system with activities like eating, exercising and sex. By releasing endorphins through these activities, they promote positive feelings like pleasure, happiness and love. According to Tyler-McSherry, dopamine is responsible for allowing a person to feel pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. Dopamine is released when your body is expecting a reward. Serotonin, according to Tyler-McSherry, is in depression medication. Serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter, according to the WebMD website. There are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels may influence mood in a way that leads to depression. According Tyler-McSherry, oxytocin is known as the “cuddle hormone” because it is released when people snuggle, or bond socially.

For more information regarding farmer mental health, Tyler-McSherry recommends the Farmer Angel Network Facebook page and the Ask in Earnest website.