In 2008, anthropologist Dr. Dan Eisenberg, Ph.D., discovered that successful herders of cattle and goats in Kenya were two times more likely than less successful herders to exhibit ADHD. Since then researchers have found similar results among farmers elsewhere.
Vawnita Best of Watford City, North Dakota, has struggled with depression and spent time in emergency and in-patient care to find wellness upon returning to her cattle and horse ranch.
The University of Minnesota is working to combat stigma surrounding mental health in rural areas by offering a suicide prevention program for those within in the agriculture industry.
