Community contact and support have been confirmed as essential ingredients in helping rural people overcome anxiety and depression.
Rural Women New Zealand's 'Feeling Rotten' survey, conducted last month, revealed the top three causes of anxiety are feeling overwhelmed or over-extended, followed by money and financial stress and family issues.
Rural Women national president Liz Evans says community support is especially important at the moment, with the extra stress of dealing with drought.
She says the organisation will be putting that into practice over the next few weeks by organising events for local people in drought areas.
