Social and emotional problems go hand in hand with the financial problems facing farm families today. Judy Heffernan, director of the Heartland Network, told participants that many times farmers will blame themselves and see themselves as failures. They withdraw from family and friends and become depressed, sometimes to the point of becoming suicidal or physically ill. Statistics show that people who live in rural areas are twice as likely to experience depression as in urban areas. People in rural communities are also much more independent and much less likely to ask for assistance than people in urban areas.
Suicide rates are high, especially among senior citizens.
Joan Blundall, associate director for Seasons Center for Community Health in Spencer, Iowa, had extensive experience with providing support for distressed communities during the farm crisis of the 1980s. She said the current crisis is more severe because of the fast drop in pork and grain prices. They don't know how to deal with it because it came too quickly. Sometimes they take second or third jobs to supplement income, putting severe strain on marriages and family relationships. Blundall said the most common reactions are depression, anger and grief.