Rural Minds: Breaking the Silence Around Mental Health in Agriculture - Drovers
The statistics are eye opening and concerning:
More than 46 million people live in rural America.
Suicide rates in rural areas are 65% higher than in urban areas.
Farmers and ranchers are two to four times more likely to die by suicide.
Rural youth are 54% more likely to die by suicide than urban youth.
65% of rural counties have no psychiatrist.
30% of rural households lack broadband internet.
Significant stigma and shame prevent people from seeking help.
“We’ve got to start looking at mental health differently than what we have done for generations, especially in rural areas,” says Jeff Winton a multigenerational dairy farmer from New York. “Our mission is to serve as the informed voice for mental health in rural America and to provide mental health information and resources. We are working to confront mental health challenges in rural communities and the stigma that surrounds mental illness.”