DEPRESSION SUPPORT- Anonymous posting is possible, see note in post #1.

Reading in the farming Indo that there is a special HSE helpline setup for farmers who are in crisis.

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/News/newsarchive/2011archive/feb2011/Farm_Rural_Stress_Helpline_A_Lifeline_For_Rural_People.html


The number for anyone that is interested is 1800 742 645

A very moving interview this morning on country wide with gerry McEntee it certainly moved me this morning, well worth a listen to if some one more tec then myself could put up a link i think its well worth a listen.

Can i post my own situation here or are we aloud discuss personal issues on this?

lakill Farm wrote: »

few of us on twitter set up "farmers unite" in march. we hope to get it kick started this autumn.

anyone on twitter?

Yes. But then you know that:)

Rovi wrote: »

[MOD]

Some posts above removed.

Let's keep this thread focused on the subject from a farming point of view, and take the general politics and grievances with the state elsewhere, huh?

[/MOD]

Fair enough,but farming families are often victims of poor mental health facilities. A family living in a city like Dublin would find it easier to access mental health services than a family living miles away from the nearest town.

Farming is an isolated and often stressful profession. Farmers and their families need support and often they can't find it. Older generations might be from a generation that kept a stiff upper lip and didn't complain and this would discourage the younger generations from discussing their problems. The older generation might remember a time when admitting to mental illness meant you were likely to be incarcerated for life in the County Home.

I don't know if the poor family in Carlow had any farming links, but what happened to them could happen to any family in Ireland, including farming families.

There is an Online Dating forum on boards where people can ask to sign up to discuss that issue. If there was enough demand, perhaps a similar forum could be set up for depression and other health issues in rural Ireland. I know this is off topic, but there were a number of fatal farm accidents recently involving children. The families of these children will be suffering now. I think it would be useful to set up a dedicated thread to discuss farming related health issues, be they mental or physical.

reilig wrote: »

This thread was set up specifically as a resource for people from a farming background to deal with mental health issues. It is meant to provide information about the services and help available and basically to ensure that people know that they are not alone. Many of the regular posters posted information or experience which is relevant to them. We made it a sticky because it is a useful resource if it is used properly - people should stick to the topic.

I don't think we need another specific thread for health issues aside from MH. There are various forums on Boards.ie that relate to health issues. If people wish to suggest any that may be related to the information in this forum, then we can link them through the useful infoormation sticky.

I come from a farming background so I have an idea of some problems farmers face (or may not want to admit to). Depression is one of these and there are many causes, including isolation, bereavement and a feeling that there is no help available. I think that despite lip service to progress, depression is still seen as a sign of weakness in farming communities and people may make glib references to it but don't really want to admit suffering from it themselves.

I wish everyone all the best here and I wish CJA James all the best in her uphill struggle to be heard.

Hi Folks

I am writing this post to bring to your attention the grave wrong doing that is being proposed by your government at present. If their ‘plan’ is allowed go ahead, it will have fair reaching and devastating consequences for the people of the Connacht region for many years to come, none more so than those suffering from severe depression and mental illness.

The government are planning to close ALL acute beds in St. Brigid’s Mental Hospital Admissions Unit in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway. This is one of the countries top state of the art psychiatric facilities, a whopping €2.8m having been spent on it in the last two years. And now they plan to close it – utter madness.

An admissions acute unit is to a severely suicidal person, what an accident and emergency department is to a person involved in a serious farm or road traffic accident. We are literally talking life or death. If these beds are allowed to be closed, there will be no service, no body for a distressed suicidal person in the middle of the night to seek help and be looked after.

There is a lot of ‘spin’ being put on this by members of the government and the top officials in the HSE through both local and national media. But make no mistake - these steps are being taken not because the service is wholly inadequate, but rather as a cost cutting exercise. People do not come into their decisions. It is once again an attack on the weak and most vulnerable members in our society.

I was at a public meeting in Gullane’s Hotel, Ballinasloe on Monday night organised to discuss this serious issue. A crowd of 500 strong turned out in force to vent their anger and frustrations at what is being proposed. Many were service users and their families who told personally of what the service meant to them and how they would be lost without it. It was very emotive stuff.

Many politicians from Galway and Roscommon were in attendance. Also among the attendees were Maura Canning and Michael Flynn from the IFA. Maura voiced her concerns for this proposed closure and told of her planned meeting with the minister in the coming days on this issue and also to discuss the seriously high suicide figures for East Galway.

There is to be a public march organised for September. It looks like it will take place in Ballinasloe. I do not have details of the exact date yet, but I will post it here as and when I get word of it. I am calling on everyone and anyone here from the Connacht area, and indeed neighbouring counties, to make their way to this march if at all possible. Your support would be gratefully appreciated.

I realise the farming community are more private but I think getting better, men find it more difficult anyhow to ask for help when feeling down but the farming community find it even harder and small communities and will not attend local hospitals as they feel all people know they attended, thats why we need counselling facilities in non HSE arena, HSE useless anyhow, no time for talking, dishing out the tablets and out the door, thats no good for people in isolation and lonely.

For those that are interested. .... march takes place Sunday week 15th Sept

just do it wrote: »

I won't make it Muckit but I hope ye get a great turnout

Thanks for the support JDI. I don't really suspect there will be many fellow f&f boardies there but there are always as many guests as members on here. Some may be from around. it may suit them to go. These protests are a numbers game.

Muckit wrote: »

For those that are interested. .... march takes place Sunday week 15th Sept

The march was a resounding success. Fair play to everyone that supported and took part on the day. We even made the news !! It's not over by a long shot, but at least it's a good start...