Due in part to isolation and a lack of ready access to mental health care services, a study finds the suicide rate for farmers has risen consistently for years. Researcher Corinne Peek-Asa some of the issues are directly related to the demands of the occupation.

Peek-Asa says farmers need to know resources are there to help them get through difficult situations. Farmers are tough but she says the smart thing to do when you need help is to seek it, which does not diminish your toughness.

Peek-Asa is an occupational and environmental health professor at the University of Iowa College of Public Health. The findings were published in the Journal of Rural Health.