Mental health pressures on rural communities intensifying

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY RHĀNZ FOR IMMEDIATE USE, 9 October 2014

Mental health pressures on rural communities intensifying

Members of the Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (RHĀNZ) have identified mental health and wellbeing outcomes as one of the major disparities between people in rural and urban communities.

Rural New Zealand is a major contributor to GDP. When it does well, the whole country benefits, so ensuring the health and wellbeing of our rural communities is in everyone’s interest. However, RHĀNZ is particularly concerned with the pressures building on rural communities from a number of fronts, says RHĀNZ chairperson Dr Jo Scott-Jones.

For example, there is pressure from Government to double exports by 2025 while at the same time reducing workplace accidents and environmental pollutants. The public is also demanding more sustainable and cleaner farming systems. Then there are the economic and environmental pressures such as falling milk prices and the predicted drought in some regions. Rural people, particularly those associated with the business of farming, are being pulled in different directions which is creating big stressors, he says.

“We know periods of reduced farm income, increased stress from the environment and drought cause spikes in mental health problems for people living in rural areas.
“We also know mental health is a major issue affecting the workload of rural health services. We need people to come in and talk through issues at an early stage rather than waiting until everything collapses and there is a crisis. Having said this, we are also acutely aware of the health workforce shortages in rural communities.
”According to the New Zealand Rural General Practice Network nearly a quarter of all rural general practices currently have a vacancy for a GP, with some having more than one vacancy. Retention and recruitment of culturally competent health professionals in rural areas is another top priority for RHĀNZ,” says Dr Jo Scott-Jones.

From an operational perspective, the lack of up to date health data for rural populations is the biggest obstacle we are currently grappling with, says RHĀNZ, Chief Executive, Michelle Thompson. “If we can’t measure it then we can’t change it. We know from provisional 2013 Census data that 611,000 people live rurally but we do not know for example, how their health status and health outcomes compare to people living in urban areas.

”These difficulties appear to be the result of variations in the way data is collected and incompatible national data sets. Nor do we know what the per capita health spend is for rural people compared to urban people. We will be talking with the new Minister of Health and Ministry of Health representatives to ensure that in future health data is collected in a way which allows meaningful rural/urban analysis.”

Suicides are a sobering indicator of a community’s health and wellbeing and Ministry of Health data shows that the suicide rate among rural communities has been higher than for urban communities in recent years. Provisional figures released by the Chief Coroner show 529 people took their own life for the year ended June 2014.

According to Federated Farmers who requested the data from Coronial Services, 22 of these provisional suicides were farmer related, up two from the previous year. NZ Police have confirmed that over half of the threatened/attempted suicide calls (56%) they received in 2013-2014 came from non-urban areas, says Ms Thompson.

Dr Scott-Jones says, in 2013-2014 the suicide rate for farmers was higher than those dying from occupational related injuries. RHĀNZ would like to see a similar level of focus, funding and resources for addressing depression and mental health issues in rural communities as is available for combatting health and safety issues in the rural sector.

“It’s about training, building resilience, having appropriate access to high quality health services, ensuring people have the right skills to see the signs and to know when to seek help.
“The main thing we need rural people to do is to seek help as soon as they need it. There is no shame in asking for support,” he says.

Who to call

If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact:

Talk to your local GP or nurse or if it is an emergency, do not hesitate to call 111. Alternatively you can visit or call:

Lifeline 0800 534 354

Suicide Crisis Helpline (aimed at those in distress, or those who are concerned about the wellbeing of someone else) - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

Youthline 0800 376 633

http://www.depression.org.nz/rural

Samaritans 0800 726 666

Depression helpline 0800 111 757

Rural Support Trusts 0800 787 254

Note to Editors:
The Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand was established in May 2012 and represents a united voice from across multiple rural sector organisations. Its aim is to provide solutions and influence policy affecting the health and wellbeing of rural communities www.rhaanz.org.nz.

Current members: http://www.rhaanz.org.nz/membership/current-members/

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