Harnessing Digital Innovation: Addressing Mental Health Disparities in Rural America - Psychiatric Times
We live and work in rural communities. I (Jeff) am the founder and chairman of Rural Minds and from rural upstate New York. I (John) spend part of my time in the least populated county of North Carolina and serve as the chief medical officer and executive vice president at Otsuka in the US. Our experiences in rural America have shown us that in rural communities, though unique in their people and landscapes, mental health inequity is ubiquitous. Across the country, rural residents are struggling to address the growing and seemingly intractable mental health crisis.
For me (Jeff), this crisis is my lived experience. I come from a long line of farmers and growing up I witnessed the silent struggles of local individuals with mental illness. Tragically, my nephew Brooks, a farmer and father of 3-year-old twins, died by suicide. Despite pressure to conceal the truth, my family, led by my late mother, chose to confront the issue head on, determined to break the silence and stigma surrounding mental health challenges. Even today, there remains a lack of understanding and information about mental illness and many still do not recognize mental health conditions as chronic illnesses, like cancer, heart disease, or diabetes.