Field: The facts about farmer suicides in Indiana

Farmer suicides have received considerable media attention recently, with the issue being correlated to low commodity prices, late planting due to wet weather, loss of international markets, rural isolation, family conflicts and other factors.

One politician declared that “farm suicide rates are as high as they have been since the Great Depression.” A recent news story claimed in bold text, “Farm Stress: Suicide a Rising Health Concern.”

A member of the Bloomberg School’s Psychiatric Epidemiology Training Program stated that “more robust rural firearm safety and control initiatives could help policymakers who are grappling with rising suicide rates.”

One news release blamed the current administration for the farm suicide problem due to trade issues. Other outlets have used the term “epidemic” to describe the problem.

The challenge with all these claims is that none can be substantiated with reliable published data, and some have simply proven to be false.

For example, the claim that current suicide rates are as high as they were during the Great Depression was determined to be false by the fact checker POLITIFACT. It concluded that there are insufficient data to support such a claim.

On a topic as sensitive as farmer suicides, each of us needs to exercise extra precautions to ensure the information we disseminate is supported by sound data.

Sensationalizing the issue of suicide to enhance readership interest, or for political or personal purposes, should not be a part of our agenda, even if we feel passionate about the problem. During World War II, there was a saying that “loose lips sinks ships,” which can also apply to the problem of farmer suicide.

What do we know, for example, about farmer suicides in Indiana? This may not be true for all states, but very likely, it could be.

1. Claims regarding the high suicide rate among farmers have been made for the past 40 years, with special attention given to the problem in the 1980s and 1990s. There is, however, no published or reliable data at the state or national levels that historically documents the problem specifically for the state of Indiana, or for any other state.

2. There is no reliable longitudinal data that documents a trend, either up or down, for Indiana farmer suicides. Statistical comparisons to the Great Depression, or the extremely stressful economic times of the 1980s, are not reliable, simply because there is insufficient data.

3. The rates calculated by the Centers for Disease Control on farmer suicides are problematic, especially when applied to the Indiana farm population. Issues include:

• The rates were calculated using a composite of individuals employed in “farming, forestry and fishing.” The data also does not include, in most cases, unpaid labor, homemakers, students, or active military who may be doing farm work. Combining the data may provide a larger sample, for analysis, but makes interpreting the data difficult, especially as it directly applies to farmers.

• The rates are based upon the estimated number of employed workers in agriculture, which unlike many occupations, is relatively dynamic and makes reliable calculation of rates difficult. For example, active farmers over 65 receiving Social Security benefits are generally not included in the data.

• The CDC rates were calculated on the basis of a frequency of documented suicides for all of farming, forestry and fishing for the entire United States, which were 68 cases in 2012 and 71 cases in 2015 respectively. These numbers represent the most current data. For comparison, in the construction and extrication industry, the CDC documented 1,216 and 1,404 suicide cases in 2012 and 2015, respectively. Any claims of “skyrocketing” suicide rates relying on these data are unfounded and certainly cannot be extrapolated to Indiana farmers.

During the 1980s, I monitored Indiana farmer suicides using death certificates obtained from the Indiana State Department of Health. This was part of a farm stress initiative conducted in conjunction with the Indiana Mental Health Association.

At that time, suicide frequency for all Indiana residents was highest in the five primary urban areas of the state. There was no significant increase in cases within the farm community, though the media gave the topic considerable attention — as it is doing now.

The farmer suicide frequency in the 1980s was substantially less than the total number of fatalities caused by work-related injuries, which were also documented using death certificates.

In 1981, for example, no fewer than 44 Indiana farmers died in work-related incidents. In other words, farm-related injuries caused a greater number of deaths than were documented as suicides.

If non-work-related fatal incidents, such as those involving motor vehicle crashes, fires, drownings and off-road vehicles were included, the number of fatal injuries involving farmers would be substantially more than the number of suicides. It is also, more likely for a farmer to die from the flu than from suicide.

There has been no published data that would lead me to believe that the situation has changed. In fact, the current rates of suicides per 100,000 farmers, as published by the CDC, and for farm work-related fatalities is almost identical, with farm work-related fatalities continuing to show a downward trend. For more information on the trends associated with farm work-related fatalities visit www.farmsafety.org.

While there are summaries available for farm work fatalities over the past 40 years, no such summary exists for farmer suicides, either here at Purdue or at the state level.

Until someone undertakes a compilation of farmer suicide data, from reliable sources, any claims about frequency, rates, or trends are simply speculative.

Therefore, it is my position that care should be exercised to avoid sensationalizing the issue or being the conduit for unreliable information suggesting the problem is epidemic.

Even though data does not support the notion that farmer suicide rates are increasing — especially the claims that the issue is “widespread” — many farmers and farm families are without doubt experiencing severe stress during these challenging times.

Sadly, farmer suicides do occur, and the resulting impacts are devastating for affected families and rural communities. In addition, excessive stress often leads to serious health problems, family issues and perhaps substance abuse.

I encourage you to become familiar with, and promote, the many excellent resources available to people who may be dealing with the effects of stress. Begin with local resources such as those groups that provide safe places to open up and ask for help including churches and faith-based organizations.

There are also mental health professionals in private practice, community mental health networks, local health care providers, crisis and suicide intervention hotlines and programs offered through local Extension offices, such as Mental Health First Aid.

No one should become so disconnected that they lose hope or conclude that they can no longer be a valued member of their family or community.

Bill Field is a Purdue Extension safety specialist.