Turning the tables on depression

FEELING DOWN: Steve Thomson features in a publication on depression in rural communities.

Farmer and Reverend Steve Thomson's battle with depression is highlighted in a new publication, Feeling Down On The Farm.

Launched today, the start of National Mental Health Awareness Week, the publication seeks to reduce suicide and depression in rural communities.

A sheep and beef farmer, Mr Thomson first started to suffer from depression in the late 1980s. "It came about during a bad drought and increasing interest rates which affected us because we had a loan," said the Reverend.

He first started to notice something was wrong when he thought he had suffered a heart attack. "After a particularly stressful morning, I thought I was having a heart attack. I took myself to the hospital where I was told I hadn't - they sent me home and told me to rest for a few weeks. They offered no explanation of what was wrong," he said.

During this rest period things got worse for Mr Thomson. He said he sat at home "doing nothing with no strength and no motivation".

As outlined in the booklet, it is often those around someone who can see that person is unwell. For the Thomson family this was certainly the case. "My family could see something was wrong, but they didn't know what - my wife struggled to see me like that," said the Reverend.

It was a visit from the local vicar that was the turning point, however. "The vicar had come by and I said to him better pray for me, my life is turning to custard. And, he said, I'll pray for you, but I need you to get you to the doctor quickly."

A trip to the doctor saw the Reverend prescribed anti-depressants. This was not enough for his "enquiring mind" - he studied everything he could on the topic. "I worked out what caused it, so I was able to do something about it."

The role of the community is highlighted in the publication as being important. Mr Thomson praises the effort of the community during his struggle with depression.

"Luckily our farm adviser acted quickly and got people to help out on the farm - it became a real community effort."

The support Mr Thomson received during his battle led to a refocus in his life.

"Before this I was completely focused on the farm. This changed my focus to God, my family and then the farm."

Grateful for what the community did for him, Mr Thomson increased his involvement within the community. He became an Anglican priest and a LifeLine counsellor.

Being open about his battle with depression has enabled him to help others suffering and he hopes Feeling Down On The Farm will allow him to continue to do so. The Reverend recalls speaking about stress and depression on farms during the 2012 drought. He said, "Within 24 hours I had nine people contacting me about the issue - I'm hoping the publication will have a similar effect.

"Depression can be scary when you don't know what you are dealing with. Hopefully the publication will help those suffering come to terms with it and become aware that depression is not uncommon - for the bulk of people, it's simple to get out of."Feeling Down On The Farm will be distributed to all rural delivery households this week. Extra copies will be available from health professionals.