Suicide rates among farmers are the highest of any occupational group and have even increased since the farm crisis of the 1980s. Dr. Brandi Janssen director of Iowa’s Center for Agricultural Safety and Health says a CDC study shows the suicide rates among farmers exceed rates in other high risk populations, including veterans.
She says most people think the 1980s Farm Crisis had the highest rates of violence and suicide. However, using the CDC numbers she found a 50-percent higher rate of suicide today than those tracked by the National Farm Medicine Center during the 1980s in the Upper Midwest.
Janssen says there is no single cause for suicide, but it most typically occurs when stressors like economic challenges occur. And she says there are various warning signs.
She says if you or a family member needs help you can contact the Iowa Concern Hotline (1-800-447-1985).
