Making mental health a priority
Our society has been shaken by a number of celebrity suicides, the most recent of which were fashion mogul Kate Spade and celebrity chef and world traveler Anthony Bourdain. But while tragedies involving celebrities shine a light on mental health issues, by no means are they the only ones impacted.
Right here in Minnesota, suicides jumped 40% between 1999 and 2016 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, much higher than the average national increase during that time frame.
One crucial resource for those struggling with mental health emergencies is the Crisis Connection hotline. When people call the phone number you see advertised in national news stories about suicides — the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK) — those calls are routed to Crisis Connection. It served more than 52,000 Minnesotans last year. Unfortunately, it will shut down June 30 after the governor vetoed funding for it at the end of session.
Mental health is an especially serious concern in Greater Minnesota, where depression rates and emergency room visits related to mental illnesses are significantly higher than the twin cities. Unfortunately, the governor also vetoed funding that would provide more resources to help farm families and agriculture communities get better access to mental health services.
I shudder to think of the countless people who will be harmed by the governor’s vetoes. But while his decisions were incredibly disappointing, if you need someone to talk to there are still resources available.
- You can call your county’s crisis hotline, available here: https://mn.gov/dhs/crisis/.
- Crisis support is also available via text message, by texting 741741.
- The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has a confidential online chat tool, which you can access here: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/
- You can even call the Crisis Connection number after funding runs out – calls with be triaged and routed elsewhere. But by no means is this an ideal situation.
The major, bipartisan infrastructure bill focused on mental health assistance, including funding to establish regional mental health crisis centers throughout Minnesota, and housing assistance for people with special behavioral or mental health needs.
Finally, the Farm and Rural Helpline will continue to operate. This crisis hotline is funded through the Department of Agriculture, and provides free, confidential mental health counseling specifically for farmers and residents of Greater Minnesota 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can call them toll free at 833-600-2670.
We are finally making progress on ending the stigma toward mental illness, but we still have work to do. This is especially true in Greater Minnesota. Farmers and residents of rural communities face unique stresses and challenges that people in the metro don’t understand, but often there is an attitude that we should be able to work through our problems alone.
This is not the case. All the resources in the world won’t matter if we don’t share what is bothering us. If you’re struggling, please talk to someone. If you aren’t, make sure to check in with your friends and family members to make sure things are going all right.
I am optimistic when session reconvenes next year we will have a governor who is willing to work with the legislature on these critical bipartisan priorities. In the meantime, please make sure you are taking care of your own mental health.