More on Psychiatry and Farmers

I would like to comment on “Psychiatrists and Farmers: Alliance in the Making?” in the May 16 issue. In the aftermath of War World II, some psychiatrically damaged soldiers were placed on family farms for convalescent care. I don't know the details of this program, but in approximately 1970 I treated a military veteran who almost certainly had experienced symptoms that would now be diagnosed as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For convalescence he had been placed on a family farm operated by a pacifist family, staying there for a number of months. He described the experience as very helpful. His subsequent adjustment had been sufficient for him to become highly productive in his work. I saw him for depression connected to age-related life changes.