The agriculture business has become increasingly unstable. Financial uncertainty, physical isolation and increasingly unpredictable crop yields linked to climate change are just some of the stressors that are fueling a mental health crisis among farmers. The anxiety can be overwhelming—especially in many farming communities that have historically struggled with access to mental health services and the stigma of seeking help. A recent CDC study of occupational suicide risk found that male farmers, ranchers and other agricultural managers had a suicide rate more than 50 percent higher than the overall suicide rate of men in all surveyed occupations. Research also suggests that farmers have increased risk of heart disease caused in part by chronic stress and hardships from the job.

“The transition to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has sparked a transformational moment in behavioral health care in this country. For the first time in my 26-year career history, every state and territory is talking about improving their behavioral health crisis systems,” said Monica Johnson, MA, director of the 988 & Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “While we know that there is still much work to do to achieve a robust response system for mental health and substance use crisis care across the country, we have accomplished a lot in the past year. The data show that, since the transition to 988, more people are reaching out for help, and they are getting a response much faster than ever before to get the help that they need in a time of crisis.”

The threat of losing these beloved family farms has become a constant worry, affecting many farmers’ mental health and raising concerns of another uptick in suicides like during the 1980s farm crisis. Much of the stress stems from being dependent on factors largely outside their control – from the increasingly unpredictable weather to growing costs of equipment to global market swings that can wipe out profits. “You’d be surprised how many people are suffering with depression. Farmers have been a group of people who keep problems to themselves, proud and private,” said Bob Worth, a third-generation crop farmer who with his son works 2,100 acres of rich, black soil near the hamlet of Lake Benton.

The mental health equivalent of 911 is about to launch across the United States, but a new study finds that many communities may not be prepared for it. Beginning July 16, a new 988 number will be available 24/7 for Americans dealing with a mental health crisis. It's akin to 911, long used to get help for medical emergencies.

The new code will replace the 10-digit number currently used to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which was established in 2005. Health officials expect the easy-to-remember 988 to spur a surge in calls. The trouble is, few jurisdictions are ready for that, according to the new study, by the nonprofit research organization RAND Corp.

Why are we afraid to say the word "suicide?" Usually, it is for the benefit of the family, out of respect for their privacy. But the real reason is that mental disorders remain the most stigmatized of all illnesses, and suicide encapsulates mental aberrations to the extreme. I never considered my specialty (psychiatry) to have a mortality rate until one of my supervisors reminded me that our patients die by suicide and sometimes kill others by homicide, acts which can be prevented more often than not.

"The last 20 years have been terrible," Jim Kalbach told CBS News. "You gotta be great big or you just as well forget it. Five hundred acres won't do it anymore — you need 5,000." Those who remain are barely holding on. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, farmer suicide rates have spiked 40% in less than two decades.  That's why the Minnesota Department of Agriculture has launched a hotline to help. 

Today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Office of Minority Health (OMH) – announced nearly $35 million in funding opportunities to strengthen and expand community mental health services and suicide prevention programs for America’s children and young adults. The American Rescue Plan funded $9.2 million. This announcement is part of a new Administration-wide initiative to tackle the nation’s mental health crisis.

There has been a growing awareness of depression and the need for suicide prevention in the veterinary industry in recent years.

Five years ago, I received a call my mom had passed away. I was 30 years old and suddenly motherless. Later that afternoon, I was told she had died by suicide. In that moment, and in many moments thereafter, I was shattered and broken. I could not stop replaying my new reality: my mom had taken her life. I was devastated.

Sparsely populated communities face unique challenges, such as isolation and cultural stigmas about mental health, that call for tailored suicide prevention approaches.