A major barrier to individuals seeking help in rural communities is the stigma often associated with mental health challenges. Rural Minds is working to confront the stigma through people talking about their personal, lived experiences with mental illness.

“Sharing the burden of mental illness and life experiences can be really, really powerful,” said Dr. Mark A. Fry, consultant in the Department of Psychiatry and Psychology at Mayo Clinic. “As a psychiatrist, I would tell you it’s a critically important part of the overall treatment plan. In my opinion, the concept of providing peer support – sharing lived experiences with mental illness and supporting each other – really is invaluable.”

In our quest to help end the silence, stigma, and suffering that surround mental illness, Rural Minds is partnering with the National Grange to address the current mental health emergency in rural America. Compared to people who live in urban areas, residents of rural communities have higher rates of depression and suicide, but are less likely to access mental healthcare services. Studies have also indicated that suicide rates among people who live in rural counties are 25% higher than people who live in major metropolitan areas. Our aim in collaborating with the Grange is to develop a grassroots, person-to-person approach to providing people who live in rural communities with mental health and suicide prevention information by working with local Granges, civic groups, and community leaders across the country.