Many agricultural workers with disabilities face challenges beyond their physical issues, such as depression, stress, addictions, and other mental/behavioral health concerns. In addition, certain mental/behavioral health issues are considered disabilities in themselves.
Listed here are resources recommended by AgrAbility staff members for addressing such matters.
Helplines
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- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline : 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
- Crisis Text Line : Text "CONNECT" to 741741
Resources for Addressing Mental/Behavioral Health Issues of AgrAbility Clients
Colorado State University Extension AgrAbility
www.agrability.cahs.colostate.edu
Includes links to a series of family fact sheets for child/youth, elderly, relationships topics that include information on stress and coping, suicide, emotions, and family relationships.
Indiana AgrAbility Project: Purdue University's Breaking New Ground Resource Center
www.ruralcare.info
A link to the Rural Caregivers Web site that contains links to a variety of materials and resources for Caregiver Workshops.
Maine AgrAbility
extension.umaine.edu/agrability/solutions-and- resources/mental-health/
Includes a variety of published resources discussing mental health and stress management resources for agricultural communities.
Virginia AgrAbility
https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/AEE/AEE-150/AEE-150.html
Mental Health Topics for Farm Families and Caregivers: An AgrAbility Virginia Program Resource serves as a resource to support those experiencing mental health concerns and caregivers/families by providing demographic information of various mental health conditions, copying strategies, and additional resources.
Wyoming AgrAbility
www.uwyo.edu/fcs/faculty-staff/weigel/life/personal-nature- agriculture/stress.html
Includes links to a variety of publications on stress, emotions, crisis, disasters, and coping from the University of Wyoming Extension.
Recommended Videos/Webinars
Mental/Behavioral Health Videos
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The Surprising Reality Of Depression And Suicide Among Farmers. Discussion of depression and suicide in farming community with special focus on the suicide of a Minnesota farmer and its affects on others. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-surprising- reality-of-depression-and-suicide-in-the-farming- community_us_5b5a424ee4b0b15aba96eab7
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Green Blood Red Tears is a documentary about a Kentucky farmer who committed suicide. Ag-Culture Media, Middletown, Kentucky. https://www.amazon.com/Green-Blood-Red- Tears/dp/B000QCQ8CQ
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Fierce Goodbye: Living in the Shadow of Suicide. Mennonite Media. https://www.amazon.com/Fierce-Goodbye-Living- Shadow-Suicide/dp/B00061UI3C
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Shadow Voices: Finding Hope in Mental Illness. Mennonite Media. https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Voices-Finding-Mental- Illness/dp/B002JAHXWM
Mental/Behavioral Health Webinars
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"Mental Health First Aid" www.youtube.com/watch? v=FYvSc3GCbpQ&t=3s. National AgrAbility Project
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"Stress Management on the Farm" www.youtube.com/watch? time_continue=5&v=IsvRTsUyFes. MidAtlantic Women in Agriculture.
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"Rural Behavioral Health Learning Collaborative - Understanding the Opioid Crisis & Community Strategies" www.youtube.com/watch? v=SbPCBygTq98. The TA Network and SAMHSA.
National Mental Health Organizations and Resources
Ag Behavioral Health
www.agbehavioralhealth.com
The website of Michael Rosmann, rural psychologist, it contains resources related to behavioral health for farmers and ranchers.
Val Farmer, PhD
www.valfarmer.com
Contains Val Farmer's many writings on rural mental health and family relationships.
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
www.nami.org
NAMI is a strong grassroots organization that conducts tuition free courses for families of individuals with mental illness and organizes support groups for those individuals. Their Web site contains information on disorders, symptoms, treatment, medications and advocacy.
Mental Health America (MHA)
www.nmha.org
MHA's goal is to educate the public about mental health and mental illness. It maintains the Suicide and Crisis Hotline, 800-273-8255, and provides information on disorders, symptoms, treatment, medications, clinical trials, referrals, appealing denials, payment help, advocacy, and community screenings. The site contains online screenings for various disorders that can be used to determine symptoms and direct the person to professional treatment if required--just type screening in the search window.
National Council for Behavioral Health
www.thenationalcouncil.org
The National Council for Behavioral Health is a not-for-profit organization with serves as a voice for health care organizations across America who provide mental health and addiction treatments and services. The organization also serves as the driving force behind the Mental Health First Aid movement and provides a variety of mental health related resources.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
www.nimh.nih.gov
NIMH is dedicated to research, and its site contains clinical trials, research publications, and general information on disorders, medications, symptoms and treatment. A timely publication available here is, "Guide: Getting through Tough Economic Times."
The Rural Health Information Hub
Links to additional rural health organizations in which support mental health concerns including demographic specific resources.
Diagnosis-Specific Assistance
Anxiety and Depression
- adaa.org/
Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) supports individuals experiencing symptoms of anxiety and depression by providing education, training, and up-to-date research. The ADAA website includes additional information including diagnosis specific facts, treatments, and support groups.
Depression and Bipolar Disorder
- www.dbsalliance.org
Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is a peer-directed national organization which provides resources and support to individuals with mood disorders. The site provides links to educational materials, treatment options, peer support, and resources for helping others.
Substance/Opioid Abuse
- www.samhsa.gov
SAMHSA is a federal agency that provides grants and national leadership and determines effective treatment and prevention. Its statistics and publications are delivered for the public in a not-too-technical format. - farmtownstrong.org
FarmTownStrong is a partnership between the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union to combat the opioid epidemic by providing links to hotlines, getting treatment, prevention, and proper disposal of drugs in an effort to provide resources and support to farm and ranch families. - extension.purdue.edu/opioids
Purdue Extension's effort to address the opioid crisis through various publications and programing including a webinar series, Mental Health First Aid courses, and the Strengthening Families Program: For Parent and Youth 10-14. - www.usda.gov/topics/opioids
U.S. Department of Agriculture’s effort on opioid misuse in rural America which provides national and state resources, funding, and project links.
Stress Management
- www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1265L.pdf
A Link to an Iowa State University Extension Agency Publication: "Manage Stress to Increase Farm Safety - Safe Farm: Promoting Agricultural Health and Safety". Includes a Farm Safety and Stress Checklist - Stress Management for Farmers
Link to "Stress Management for Farmers" series, the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service and College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - www.canr.msu.edu/managing_farm_stress
Resources for managing farm stress, anger, and depression with an additional free online course to support farmers and their families in recognizing chronic stress and how to manage related symptoms. - www.ag.ndsu.edu/farmranchstress
North Dakota State University, Agriculture and University Extension provides numerous publications on farm/ranch stress management, including a mental health training video entitled “Elderly Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Farm Stress.” - store.extension.iastate.edu/produc t/4617
An Iowa State University Extension and Outreach publication to assist in recognizing stress, symptoms, and methods for managing.
Suicide Prevention
- suicidepreventionlifeline.org
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255) - www.suicidology.org
American Association of Suicidology
Veterans
- www.mentalhealth.gov/get-help/veterans Links to various mental health resources for service members, veterans, and their families.
Lay or Self Screenings
counsellingresource.com/quizzes/cesd/index.html
Counseling resource website for the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), a screening test for depression.
counsellingresource.com/quizzes/alcohol- mast/index.html
Counseling resource website for the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) for alcohol abuse.
counsellingresource.com/quizzes/drug- abuse/index.html
Counseling resource website for the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST).
www.nmha.org/go/help/finding-help/take-a-screening
Mental Health America's website for an online stress screening.
Type "screening" in the search window for Mental Health America's screenings for various disorders.
Search Engines to Locate Local Mental Health Agencies
www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/searchMHA
Mental Health America
www.nami.org/Find-Your-Local-NAMI
National Alliance on Mental Illness
findtreatment.samhsa.gov/
SAMHSA
Getting Involved
www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/
Mental Health First Aid
www.generationrx.org/
Generation Rx-Medication management (prescription, opioids, etc.)