Farmers need to mind their mental health

At this time of year, it’s important to remember that not everyone will be full of Christmas cheer. Farmers in particular could be anxious about spring calving or their fodder situation. But how do you know when this anxiety has turned to something more serious, such as depression?

In this week’s Irish Country Living, well-known Offaly dairy farmer Joe Parlon tells our health writer Margaret Hawkins exactly what it’s like. In a frank interview, Joe says that if people like him speak up about the physical symptoms of depression, it will help others understand what is happening to them. And he doesn’t put a tooth in it. He tells how his physical appearance and personality changed over a short time. His appetite disappeared, he had trouble sleeping and he was anxious, had lost his confidence and sense of humour, and couldn’t concentrate.

He describes how he’d check a sick calf 40 times a day, with a pounding heart and a knot in his stomach. But with great support from his wife Mary, family and neighbours, along with finding a medicinal routine that worked, Joe is back to full health.

Joe says that when he admitted to having depression, two things really helped him. The first was being able to talk with someone in the same boat and the second was being able to ask for help. “You have to look for it,” he says, “because if you can’t, you’re stuck, going nowhere.” His story is well worth reading and his advice is well worth heeding.