ABC Rural, 11 September 2015.

As Australia marked R U OK? day this week, with the aim of combating depression and suicide by encouraging people to check on the welfare of friends, colleagues and family, one farmer reflected on his own mental health struggles.

Five years ago, Dave Woods, a farmer from northwest of Goondiwindi, shared his story about coping with depression with the ABC.

At the time Mr Woods was speaking at a number of public functions around the country, his story was painful but one of managing his illness and beating depression.

Mr Woods said it all started to turn around after a trip to his local doctor, and now he has never been happier.

"My life is going really well in virtually all areas of life; my health, my relationships and my business," he said.

"I've got a lot to be grateful for at the moment and I'm really happy with my life from day to day.

"I guess the thing that I share most with people these days is helping people understand that they've got a problem and there really only are two options; that you can either choose to solve the problem or choose to not solve the problem.

If you need to talk to someone you can call Lifeline's 24-hour crisis telephone line on 13 11 14.

Support is also available through Beyond Blue, R U OK, or your local GP.

Read the full article here.