Mental Health in Rural Communities

10 October is World Mental Health Day and mental health in rural communities is the focus of this Rural Museums Network seminar. The day is an opportunity to talk about mental health issues and to mobilize efforts in support of mental health. A recent survey in England and Wales funded by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Fund (RABI, 2021) found that 36% of the farming community was probably or possibly depressed. This is not surprising with the challenges the farming industry has experienced in recent years; extreme weather, poor harvests, supply chain shortages and the consequences of a global pandemic.found that 36% of the farming community was probably or possibly depressed. This is not surprising with the challenges the farming industry has experienced in recent years; extreme weather, poor harvests, supply chain shortages and the consequences of a global pandemic. We hope to raise awareness and understanding of mental ill health and share where support is available.

This session is hosted by Madeleine Ding, Collections Officer, Museum of English Rural Life.

Please note the Rural Museums Network AGM will be held on Zoom between 2.45pm and 3.00pm, followed by this speaker session. It is open to all.

Kate Miles is the Charity Manager of the DPJ Foundation, the Welsh agricultural mental health charity. Kate oversees the DPJ Foundation’s confidential 24/7 “Share the Load” helpline as well as delivering awareness raising activities and training to challenge the stigma surrounding poor mental health in the agricultural community.

Kate, who has a farming background herself, is passionate about suicide prevention and support for those who have been impacted by suicide.

Matt Lobley is a Professor of Rural Resource Management and is the Director of the Centre for Rural Policy Research at the University of Exeter. Matt is a rural social scientist, with over 30 years of research experience, drawing primarily on the disciplines of Rural Sociology and Geography. Matt has a long-standing track record in the generation of external research income from a range of sources including Research Councils, Government Departments, NGOs, Charities and the private sector. His research largely focuses on understanding farms as predominately family businesses and influences on and impacts of farm household behaviour. In particular, his main interests relate to the role of farm households in the management of the countryside, for example, through exploring the impact of policy reform; attitudes towards agri-environmental policy; the environmental and social impacts of agricultural restructuring, and the health and well-being of farming people.

Sarah Holland is Associate Professor in History at the University of Nottingham. Her work explores the historic interconnections between the countryside, farming and mental illness. This is the subject of her forthcoming monograph, Farming, Psychiatry and Rural Society. Her presentation will provide insights into the history of rural mental health.

[Main image credit, Museum of English Rural Life]

Host or Publisher Rural Museums Network (Subject Specialist Network)