If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741, or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
By Chris Docter
Since 2008, September has been recognized as National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. It is a time to acknowledge those affected by suicide, raise awareness, and connect individuals with suicidal ideation to treatment services. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death among adults in the U.S. and the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-24 and these rates are increasing. Farmers and ranchers are up to three and a half times more likely to commit suicide than any other demographic with forty-five percent of farmers’ and ranchers’ suicides in the last 15 years being committed by people aged 65 and older. The 41,000 individuals who die by suicide annually leave behind friends and family members to navigate the tragedy of their loss.
Suicide is complex and often caused by a range of factors, rather than by a single event. Farmers and ranchers specifically have an array of factors that can, over time, add up and create a seemingly inescapable hopelessness. These factors include: working long hours in inclement weather, high debt burden, market volatility, government policy, the strong feeling of identity that comes with and self worth tied to living and working on generational farms, family pressure, cultural stigma, rural isolation, a higher than average rate of untreated mental illness, barriers to mental health access, stress and burn out, physical health problems that affect identity negatively, exposure to chemicals, and easy access to lethal means.
There are many programs and opportunities which offer help specifically for farmers with suicidal ideation. For instance, the Farm Family Wellness Alliance (https://www.farmfoundation.org/resources/farm-family-wellness-alliance/) is a free counseling service that offers anonymous peer-to-peer support and a library of self-paced resources.
A more local resource is Avera Health Farm and Rural Stress Hotline (800-691-4336) the hotline will connect you with a skilled, compassionate mental health professional who can help you navigate whatever you’re experiencing – such as symptoms or signs of anxiety or depression.
Many of the factors that lend to suicide among farmers aren’t easily avoided. The weather, long hours, and lack of day to day security are unavoidable. The most important thing to remember, however, is if you or someone you know is having suicidal ideation is that you are not alone and there is someone who will listen and understand. In the end the hardest part may be initially reaching out to another for help.
September is a time to raise awareness, spread hope, and spark meaningful action around one of the most urgent mental health issues of our time. Talking about suicide isn’t harmful; silence is. One honest conversation can be a turning point in someone’s life.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741, or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).