Suffering in Silence–Ruralite
Suicide Rates in rural America on the rise
Few would have guessed Brooks Winton, a farmer from rural New York, was going through severe mental health struggles. Described as a burley ex-athlete with the ability to hoist farm animals under each arm, the 28-year-old was a beloved member of a close-knit family.
That’s why his suicide came as a shock.
“He was the father of 3-year-old twins, the life of the party, very hardworking,” says his uncle, Jeff Winton. “Everybody loved my nephew. No one had any idea he was struggling with mental illness until the day we found him.”