{"id":13112,"date":"2020-12-21T11:39:29","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T17:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/futurefarmer1.wpengine.com\/?p=13112"},"modified":"2020-12-21T11:39:30","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T17:39:30","slug":"save-a-farmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/futurefarmermag.com\/save-a-farmer\/","title":{"rendered":"Save A Farmer This Holiday Season"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Dr. Jon Ulven<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a cold, clear winter evening, Tom considers many worries as the television fails to grab his focus. With his wife in the other room and the kids upstairs, his mind entertains its usual topics. \u201cWill the farm make it? Will the family farm end with me? Is this the year? I wish my marriage was going better. I don\u2019t talk to my kids like I used to.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom hurts, both physically and mentally. As he sits in his well-worn chair that supports a body worn by the profession of farming, his mind fills with \u201cshoulds\u201d that part of him wishes were \u201cmusts.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI should make that appointment with the bank, get my back looked at, lose some weight, finish the basement project, open up to my wife and drink less.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tom gazes out the window as his mind quickly moves to thoughts about dying and wishing it was all over. He feels alone in this house full of family. He feels guilty and ashamed he feels this way. His mind has been here before<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this story resonated with you personally or made you think of a family member or friend, I hope you keep reading. In my work as a licensed psychologist in the Upper Midwest for the past 19 years, I am seeing unprecedented demand for behavioral health services that is linked to the significant distress caused directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am thankful for the opportunity to write to the farming community that I grew up in about the topic of suicide and behavioral health care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Scope and Nature of the Problem<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A survey study of thousands of Americans by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at the end of June 2020 found that almost 11 percent had \u201cseriously considered suicide\u201d in the previous 30 days. This same study found that the rate of depressive disorders had increased by 3.5 times at the time of the survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People are hurting and our winter in the Upper Midwest is coming. The impact of the pandemic is unfortunately adding to an already alarming trend. A 2018 report by the CDC revealed that the rate of suicide has increased by 40 percent in the past two decades in the US. This CDC study also found that farmers ranked among the highest risk occupations for suicide. Most of you reading this article have been impacted by someone who died by suicide. In my clinical work, the primary focus of my care is increasingly working with patients to reduce their risk of suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Do People Die by Suicide?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Thomas Joiner, PhD, a psychologist and professor, has dedicated his professional career to understanding suicide. Hundreds of studies throughout the world have led him to the following three factors that he believes are necessary to die by suicide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. The person at risk believes they are a burden to others. They begin to believe that people would be better off without them.<\/li>
  2. They feel socially rejected, not included, left out.<\/li>
  3. People at risk of suicide have acquired the capacity to harm themselves through experiencing repeated emotional and\/or physical pain in their lives.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    In addition, people at risk of suicide often have sleep problems, nightmares and agitation at the time of a suicide attempt. Humans are biologically wired not to harm themselves or others, so it takes a lot to cross over this wiring to make an attempt. People who make suicide attempts are most often experiencing emotional and\/or physical pain that they can\u2019t make go away by other means. They don\u2019t want to die. They want pain to stop<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    What to Look For in People at Risk<\/h3>\n\n\n\n