Exploring hidden mental illness within the farming community
Research type
Research Study
Full title
‘Nought wrong with me Doctor’. Exploring hidden mental illness within the farming community.
IRAS ID
209608
Contact name
Hany El-Sayeh
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leeds
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Project ID: 16-SUP-0810, ESREP1618 Course Management Team Academic and Ethical Screening Outcome;Project Title: Exploring hidden mental illness within the farming community
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 0 days
Research summary
Farmers and people living in farming communities are well known to suffer with a higher incidence of mental health problems than the general public. This also includes a higher risk of suicide. The reasons for these patterns are complex but include isolation, stress, economic hardships, misuse of alcohol and access to lethal means such as chemicals and firearms. In spite of these difficulties, people from farming communities do not access mental health services in the same way as people living outside of these communities.
Relatively little is known about the farming community in North Yorkshire- which is the largest (and mainly agrarian) county in England. This community is served by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health services over this significant geographical area. It is recognised that although rural communities have high morbidity, relatively little is known about the nature of the relationship between the farming community and the mental health system.
Aims:
To gain a better understanding of the difficulties that farming communities have in accessing mental health services.To understand how mental health services can best meet the needs of the farming communities and whether changes to practice need to occur.
Outcomes:
To establish if obstacles exist that prevent the farming community access to mental health services
To establish the views of the different stakeholders (those involved in farming, mental health professionals, farming support organisations) in ascertaining the nature of these obstacles and their views on the appropriate solutions.
Making suggestions on changes to local mental health providers in order to improve their service to the local farming community.
To disseminate the findings of this research to local and national conferences via poster- and peer-reviewed journal publications.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/EE/0042
Date of REC Opinion
6 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion