A new report from the Center for Rural Policy and Development looks into the suicide epidemic in rural Minnesota, and the unique challenges to rural life that make suicide prevention more difficult than in higher populated areas. “Deaths of despair”— categorized as death by drugs, alcohol and suicide — have been on the rise for the last two decades. Suicide rates have increased 37% since 2000 in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Marnie Werner, vice president of research and operations for the Center for Rural Policy and Development, said in Minnesota's rural areas, suicide rates are rising the fastest. A chart shows suicide rates are higher in rural areas than in higher populated areas of the state. Contributed / Center for Rural Policy and Development "Since 2018, the higher (suicide) rates have been in northeast Minnesota and in northwest Minnesota," Werner said. "The less the population, the faster the suicide rate is trending." Why the rise in rural communities? Monica McConkey, a licensed marriage and family therapist and Rural Mental Health Specialist, said that having fewer mental health care providers is one of the biggest issues for increased suicide rates in rural areas. ADVERTISEMENT "There's lack of services, lack of resources, increased isolation, and stigma is still alive and well in our rural and farm communities," McConkey said. She said the "sense of hopelessness" among rural communities is pervasive, and for every death by suicide, there are a number of survivors that are impacted. Read more of the latest ag news South Dakota State University animal science professor receives USDA teaching award Mar 18 South Dakota's Boadwine Farms, a story of immigrants building a better life Mar 15 Proposed ban on bird hatching in Minnesota schools gets amendment following outcry Mar 13 "We know that the risk for suicide attempt or death by suicide also increases when they have lost a friend or a loved one to suicide," McConkey said. Farmers in particular face an array of challenges when it comes to mental health, Werner said. "Farmers struggle with a unique set of issues including volatile income, fear of losing the farm and stigma around mental health," Werner said. "And then access to firearms in rural areas." She said there's a higher percentage of people using firearms for suicide in rural areas than other areas in the state. "When you take firearms out of the mix, you can see the suicide rate drops considerably," she said. "It has to do with the fact that taking your own life is an act of an impulse, and if you have a gun at hand, it's easier to make that happen than if you're using a bottle of pills or something like that." ADVERTISEMENT Finding help The 988 Lifeline, which is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, is open 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The number can be called or texted. Werner said wider promotion of 988 by Minnesota Department of Health has just been rolled out, and she's glad that more people will know about it. "(988) is an important tool that people need to know about," she said. "It's not just for suicide, but for about any kind of mental health crisis." The report describes how anchor members rural communities are in the best position, due to the lack of mental health professionals and providers, for people to turn to in a mental health crisis. Those anchor members can be family members, and especially family doctors, who can find themselves on the front lines of combating suicide in rural areas, Werner said. "People feel much more comfortable going to their family doctor than they do to a mental health professional who they maybe don't know," she said. One of the interviewees in the report talked about doing a warm handoff, where a doctor detected there was an issue, and called in the counselor to talk to the person immediately. "It worked well because no one had to see her coming in there, and the person was there, and she able to just talk to them," Werner said. Talking about suicide Tracie Rutherford Self, a doctor and faculty member at Minnesota State University Mankato, said that talking about suicide is still incredibly taboo, and many people simply don't have conversations when they're starting to have thoughts of suicide. She said oftentimes, they're afraid of what happens. ADVERTISEMENT "As a mental health professional for almost two decades, it's interesting, because I'll bring clients in and that's one of my first questions," she said of having suicidal thoughts. "I can see the hesitation, and the hesitation is always like, should I honestly tell her that I'm having thoughts of suicide? What happens if I tell her I'm having thoughts of suicide?" The answer is yes. "Sometimes the fear of what's going to happen because it is such a taboo topic, still keeps us from having conversations about the fact that suicide, and suicidal ideation is incredibly common," she said. " I have a philosophy that I think probably everybody on the planet at some point in their life has had a thought of suicide. For some people that happens more pervasively, and for other people, it doesn't. But we still don't have those conversations on an ongoing basis. And I think that is one of the key pieces we have to start doing in order to really address the epidemic." Comments Share Share this article News reporting News reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags AGRICULTURE MENTAL HEALTH By Noah Fish Noah Fish is a multimedia journalist who creates print, online and TV content for Agweek. He covers a wide range of farmers and agribusinesses throughout Minnesota and surrounding states. He can be reached at nfish@agweek.com He reports out of Rochester, MN, where he lives with his wife, Kara, and their polite cat, Zena. He grew up in La Crosse, WI., and enjoys the talent from his home state like the 13-time World Champion Green Bay Packers and Grammy award-winning musicians Justin Vernon and Al Jarreau.
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