David Woods

What are we missing in rural mental health?

David Woods will travel from his family’s mixed farming operation in Toobeah, on the Queensland side of the border with NSW, to seek out global experts in rural mental health.

He is undertaking a Nuffield Scholarship, supported by GrainCorp, to study why, despite increasing investment, rural Australia’s mental health challenges are not improving.

David explains the overall prevalence of mental illness in Australia is similar between rural and urban environments, however rural areas have double the suicide rate. On top of that, the rate hasn’t improved significantly, despite considerable increases in investment and awareness in recent years.

“As a rural community I would like to explore what is it that we are missing,” David said.

“What are the blind spots?”

David plans to focus on two key themes. Firstly, whether Australia’s medical system tends to focus on treating symptoms rather than addressing the root causes. Secondly, he said he will look into problems with the language used around mental health.

“Communication methods often inadvertently compound the problem,” he said.

“We need to better understand effective communication within our stoic rural stereotypes.”

My proposed study topic aims to support community, particularly during periods of drought when mental health challenges are amplified.

David’s study will support other industry initiatives, including GrainGrowers’ drought policy which states “growers should have access to risk management tools that strengthen the social, environmental and financial resilience of farm business and help support the communities they operate in”.

His topic addresses strengthening social resilience in particular which has a direct impact on supporting communities.

David has invested many years researching the key principles of mental health and investigating how people are able to solve the root causes that result in mental illness. He spent several years volunteering with an organisation that helped people overcome their own psychological barriers.

“During this time, I grew fascinated with the process of self-initiated recovery and subsequently I’ve helped many people locally steer a course towards learning about their own potential."

“I’ve grown more curious about the principles that allow people to recover from mental illness and subsequently generate resilience and fulfillment."

“I’m very curious about developing ways to more effectively communicate the empowerment of this profound research. It’s been life changing for me personally and for many others who have delved into it.”