IRHA Opens Rural Mental Health-Suicide Prevention Workshops

Indiana Rural Health Association, in collaboration with AgrIInstitute, to offer critical community training to raise awareness and reduce stigma about mental health, mental illness, and suicide prevention. Registration is now open for workshops of 35 people each.

TERRE HAUTE, Indiana – Untreated or ignored stress and mental health issues in rural areas impact quality of life, economic development and lives of farmers, agriculture workforce and rural families. Unfounded stigma around seeking help with mental health and/or mental illness issues can compound farming, agricultural and life issues of stress and rural life. To raise awareness and help these critical situations, 23 free one-day content-packed workshops with subject matter experts will be conducted in 2022 which will include certification in the lifesaving QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) program. The workshops will begin February 20, 2022, in Mount Vernon, Indiana and expanding to 22 other rural sites around Indiana through July. Registration is now open.

“The suicide rates among farmers are six times higher than the national average and almost all of them are male,” said Kathy Walker, Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA) program director for Healthy Minds – Healthy Lives. “Financial stress is always present, pressure to never lose the family farm is great, the work is physically and mentally stressful with long hours, social isolation and lack of confiding relationships.”

“Add to this the onset of mood disorders that go untreated and reluctance to seek help, and you have a formula to set up conditions for suicidal ideation,” she added, noting that the QPR program can help local community people recognize signs of suicidal ideation and/or mental health issues through proven intervention techniques.

Each workshop will open with a presentation by either Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch or Bruce Kettler, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture, followed by short presentations by local leaders and the Future Farmers of America (FFA). Beth Archer, Executive Director of AgrIInstitute, will discuss the mental landscape in Indiana, and Cameron Hilt, Director of the Upper Midwest Telehealth Resource Center (UMTRC), will discuss telehealth options, followed by information about the Purdue Farm Stress Program. After a lunch break, Kathy Walker of the Indiana Rural Health Association (IRHA), a trained instructor in Question, Persuade, and Refer (QPR), will present training for QPR. After a brief discussion about strengths, weaknesses and local resources, each workshop will conclude with a short video from the Kicking Stigma campaign of the Indianapolis Colts.

Each one-day workshop is limited to 35 people, so individuals interested in participating are encouraged to register early. Registration information is available online at https://www.indianaruralhealth.org/events/

The free workshops through the Healthy Minds – Healthy Lives program are open to the farming community, including agribusinesses and related service industries, the faith community, local leaders and families.

Why is the QPR technique and heightened awareness about rural mental health issues important? “Research shows that a higher percentage of farmers and other people working and living in rural areas often experience severe stress from financial, health and other issues that can lead to depression and even to higher rates of suicide attempts,” said Cara Veale, IRHA CEO. “Resolving this situation becomes more complicated because of unfortunate stigmas erroneously associated with being diagnosed with mental health issues, even when they are highly treatable with good outcomes.”

Stigma and other issues that discourage people from seeking help can result in higher suicide attempts and other mental health issues. These issues often are higher – even double – than in urban areas. Depression, suicide and other mental health issues often rise during the seasonal times of planting and harvesting when stress levels are also higher.

Stigmas about mental health are often an issue in rural areas, said Walker. “Many people view depression, anxiety and other mental health issues as a sign of weakness, which makes it even more difficult to seek help,” she said.

People living in isolation sometimes self-medicate negative feelings and thoughts with alcohol or drugs, which can make things worse and can lead to chronic substance abuse and suicide attempts.

The February workshops will be offered in Mount Vernon, Ellettsville and Lebanon. For a complete list of workshop locations and dates (through July), please visit https://www.indianaruralhealth.org/services/healthy-minds-healthy-lives-workshops/

For additional information about the Healthy Minds – Healthy Lives QPR workshops, please contact Kathy Walker by email: kwalker@indianarha.org

Funding for Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives was made possible by the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (Grant No. 2021-70035-35652 FRSAN). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of ISDA.

#     #     #

About the Indiana Rural Health Association

 The Indiana Rural Health Association was organized in 1997 and is a nonprofit organization working to enhance the health and well-being of rural populations in Indiana through leadership, education, advocacy, collaboration, and resource development. The strength of the organization is through the present diverse membership and the founding organizers who are committed to impacting the health of citizens through the identification of rural health issues and through advocacy roles in both the public and private sectors. IRHA membership is made up of 3,300 diverse individuals and organizations, making it the largest state rural health association in the nation, and a nationally recognized leader in rural health care. For more information, visit www.indianaruralhealth.org

 About AgrIInstitute

 AgrIInstitute prepares leaders to advance agriculture and serve the industry’s related communities. AgrIInstitute serves a robust network of agriculture and rural leaders through leadership development and meaningful dialogue on matters that enhance the capacity of the industry’s most important asset — People. Programming to support leadership and communication about important agriculture and rural community topics is at the core of all AgrIInstitute initiatives. For more information, please visit https://www.agriinstitute.org/