TY - JOUR T1 - Why our farming patients are at an increased risk of taking their own lives this year JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 624 LP - 624 DO - 10.3399/bjgp13X675232 VL - 63 IS - 617 AU - Bridget Osborne Y1 - 2013/12/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/63/617/624.abstract N2 - For most of us, May has brought a welcome respite from the cold and it was a real joy to see the Spring flowers burst into life and watch the swallows swoop overhead after their long journey from Africa. It is now all too easy to put last year’s wet summer and the long, cold winter behind us.Although many will have seen farmers struggling to pull livestock out of the snow and pictures of dead stock on the television during the spring, not all will realise the long-term impact this has on our farming patients.The current problems are more complex than simply the issue of sheep lost under the snow and will significantly impact on both the physical and mental wellbeing of farmers. The rate of suicide in farmers is twice that of the general … ER -