Taihape farmer Daniel Mickleson speaks out over depression

  • 30/03/2017

Suicide has often been treated as a taboo subject in New Zealand.

But after Jono Pryor's moving plea live on Three's Jono and Ben show to speak up about mental health, it's encouraged Taihape farmer Daniel Mickleson to do just that.

Mr Mickleson publicly posted his experience with depression on Farming NZ's Facebook page - including thoughts on suicide.

He's an everyday Kiwi bloke who loves his dogs, but was breaking down.

Then the support flooded in.

Mr Mickleson told Three's The Project seeing the Jono and Ben show caused him to speak out, and he was surprised by the reaction to his post.

"We're quite a proud people. For a lot of people there's a sense of not wanting to burden others," he says.

"I never would have guessed there's a problem of this scale out there."

Mr Mickleson says that the support of the community will help him in the future.

"I don't think you will ever fully fix depression, it's just something that needs to be managed," he says.

Newshub.