Startling Reality: Rate of Suicide Among Farmers is 3.5 Times Higher Than the General Population — Drovers
Did you know that the rate of suicide among farmers is 3.5 times higher than the general population? It’s a startling statistic and a sign of the daily stress that comes with farming.
September is National Suicide Prevention Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), between 2000 and 2002 suicide rates climbed 46% in rural areas. By comparison, the rate in metro areas climbed 27.3%.
Stephanie Weatherly, chief clinical officer for Psychiatric Medical Care, says not only is the rate of suicide higher in rural communities, but it’s especially high for elderly citizens.
“Forty-five percent of farmers' and ranchers' suicides in the last 15 years were committed by people aged 65 and older, so it just really hits home the risk that we have for the elders in our communities. Not only do they have the higher risk because of their profession, they also have a higher risk with their age,” says Weatherly. “So those compounded together can be a really high risk for people in your communities.”