Research recently published by the Royal Society of Edinburgh found that the cost of living crisis, Covid-19 and the effect of the Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a more significant impact on remote rural areas in Scotland than on urban areas.

The report highlighted that prices in remote rural communities for some essential goods were already higher than those in urban centres and the recent increases in inflation has made living cost pressures worse for remote rural Scotland.

The Scottish Farmer spoke to two leading charities who are seeing growing demand for their mental health support services from farmers and rural communities affected by current events.

Chief executive of the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RSABI), Carol McLaren, said demand for counselling services has trebled over the past year and the organisation had adapted its services and introduced new projects to cater for that.

The charity is seeing a range of issues raised through their helpline, including loneliness among younger people. Social anxiety following Covid remains an issue among people of all ages, but particularly among young people.

Ms McLaren added that uncertainty around how future financial support for the farming industry would be delivered was also contributing to anxiety in the sector.

She said: “Our helplines in February and March were very busy and we have had farmers calling us having panic attacks. In the past year, we have moved to providing a freephone helpline available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in response to demand.

“Calls don’t show up on your phone bill, so it is completely confidential. We feel we are adding a huge amount of value by increasing the helpline hours, as the calls we receive in the middle of the night are extremely important.

“We have also introduced a webchat service, which is something that a lot of young people in the Scottish agricultural sector are more comfortable with and it’s working well. It’s a live service, so you’re not chatting to a bot – it’s a real human being on the other end.

“We have also introduced a pilot working with the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs, called the 'Thrive Mental Wellbeing' app. It offers an innovative in-app therapist function, so you can track how you are feeling each day. If you are tracking low, then the therapist will reach out to you.”

“One of the most innovative things we are doing just now is a Mental Health First Aid training initiative with former Royal Marines. There is a lot of synergy between agriculture and Royal Marines, such as terrain, firearms, small teams and anti-social hours.

“This is going down really well and the training is offered to those working with farmers, rather than farmers themselves, so that services can be signposted to those in need.

“There are a lot of different initiatives on the go and collectively they are making a difference,” added Carol.

Jim Hume, from recently rebranded charity, Change Mental Health, said a number of factors have had a negative impact on mental health among farmers and rural communities.

Change Mental Health set up the National Rural Mental Health Forum (NRMHF) around six years ago, which now has more than 230 membership organisations covering farming and rural interests.

He said: “I think Covid and the rise in the cost of living has had a very negative effect on people’s mental health. What’s becoming clear to us is that people are looking to get support before they get into crisis.

“The mental health money advice service has seen an increase in enquiries since the start of the cost of living crisis.

“There are direct links between poor mental health and earning less and it’s the same the other way round – if you lose a job, then the economic stress can negatively affect your mental health.”

Mr Hume pointed to the importance of partnership working and highlighted the collaboration between mental health charities to deliver services, with people seeking to be supported within their communities.

He said: “You can do that through mental health training, which gives the confidence to know how to approach someone if you are concerned about them, recognise some of the signs, know how to support that person, keep connected to that person and keep connected to the support they need.”

The charity provides training which can be delivered online, with half-day, full-day and two-day courses available. Some free places are provided for small businesses with fewer than 50 staff.

He said: “It’s important that organisations are trained and knowledgeable about mental health so they can support people in their communities before they need to get support from the NHS – it’s vital people get help before they get into crisis.”

Mr Hume said there are around 1m people living in rural Scotland and it had been estimated that Change Mental Health had outreach to more than 0.5m people.

“We support people with very serious mental illness and we’ll have to do that for some time to come. There are some things that make it more difficult, for example, there can be a lack of anonymity and there is still stigma, so it can make people reluctant to seek mental health help.”

Mr Hume said demand for the training among rural businesses is 'rising all the time', with rural communities recognising the need to tackle mental health.

He said: “Working with trusted organisations such as NFUS has been key to reaching farmers and getting the message over, including through sector specific magazines.

“Financial help from the Scottish Government has been a great catalyst to ensure we can continue our work. There is no single answer for everybody as people need different things and bespoke solutions are key.”

The Scottish Government highlighted the financial assistance it provided to charities providing mental health support to farmers and crofters.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The mental health of farmers and crofters is an extremely important issue – that’s why we are fully committed to continuing to support the charity RSABI to provide emotional, practical and financial assistance to people living and working in Scottish agriculture.

“In the financial year 2022-23, we committed £50,000 to supporting RSABI, taking total Scottish Government support to date to £515,000. We are already in discussions with RSABI on future funding requirements.

“The rural economy is only as healthy as the individuals and communities who help drive it forward. As a network with a membership reaching half of the population of rural Scotland, we are working with and through the National Rural Mental Health Forum to support our rural communities and businesses.

“Last financial year, £50,000 of funding was awarded to NRMHF as part of our clear commitment to improving mental health provision in rural areas.”

* The freephone number for the RSABI helpline is 0808 1234 555 and contact details for Change Mental Health can be found at https://changemh.org/.