Increasing Mental Health Awareness In Rural America – AgInfo
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Unfortunately, mental illness is a growing epidemic in Rural America. And it’s a tough topic to talk about. During the Cattle Industry Convention in New Orleans, Jeff Winton, a New York dairy farmer and founder of Rural Minds, discussed his quest to educate people about the seriousness of mental illness after losing his nephew to suicide.
"We attempt to tell people is that mental illness is an illness very much like cancer and cardiovascular disease and diabetes," said Winton. "So, we need to start normalizing conversations, even though it is difficult, it should be looked upon as a disease like all the other illnesses that we do feel comfortable talking about."
He says there are some distinct warning signs of farmers and ranchers who maybe fighting mental illness.