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Rural Health
Resources by Topic: Suicide and suicide prevention

The Prevalence of Mental Health Conditions Was on the Rise Before the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Pandemic Had a Negative Effect on Mental Health
Data spotlight on mental illness, depression, and suicide among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzes disparities and discusses barriers to care related to a variety of sociodemographic factors including geography. See Figures 3, 7, and 8 for data on health professional shortage areas (HPSAs), mental health-related emergency department visits, and suicide deaths by level of rurality.
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
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Prescription Opioid Tapering Practices and Outcomes at a Rural VA Health Care System
Presents a study on the clinical characteristics of rural veterans using opioids for chronic pain and undergoing opioid tapering. Breaks down data on outcomes from tapering for rural veterans who were taking 90 Morphine Equivalent Daily Dose (MEDD) or more. Highlights common tapering outcomes, such as increased pain, suicidal ideation, and other withdrawal symptoms.
Author(s): Rena Elizabeth Courtney, Emily Halsey, Tanvi Patil, et al.
Citation: Pain Medicine, 25(7), 480-482
Date: 07/2024
Type: Document
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Therapists Learn How To Help Farmers Cope With Stress Before It's Too Late
Highlights a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative to train mental health workers on the unique stressors in agricultural work contributing to disparate rates of suicides for farmers. Discusses the importance of understanding the culture of farming.
Author(s): Tony Leys
Date: 06/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Health Disparities in Tennessee
Examines health disparities experienced by Tennessee residents. Measures include life expectancy, health equity, healthcare access, mental health and trauma, infectious disease, chronic disease, cancer, reproductive health, and age-specific health. Features statistics with breakdowns by race, ethnicity, gender, and urban or rural location.
Date: 05/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: Tennessee Department of Health
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Social Infrastructure Availability and Suicide Rates Among Working-Age Adults in the United States
Examines the relationship between county-level social infrastructure (SI) and suicide rates among working-age adults. Analyzes 2016-2019 National Vital Statistics System mortality data and 2013-2015 National Neighborhood Data Archive information on community SI, providing statistical correlations as well as county-level maps. Discusses the relationship among county demographic, socioeconomic, healthcare, and SI factors in relation to mental health and well-being.
Author(s): Xue Zhang, Danielle C. Rhubart, Shannon M. Monnat
Citation: Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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Utah Latina/o/x Suicide Decedents Less Likely to Die by Firearm, Even in Rural Areas: Examining Population-wide Data From the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner
Highlights a study on the firearm-based suicide rate among Latina/o/x populations in rural areas. Explores the rate of rural people of Latina/o/x ethnicity who commit suicide by firearm and the percentage of rural people who commit suicide by firearm who are of Latina/o/x ethnicity.
Author(s): Douglas Tharp, Evan V. Goldstein, Richard M. Medina, et al.
Citation: Frontiers in Public Health, 12
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
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National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
Report highlights the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) 10-year government-wide suicide prevention strategy. Features a 15-goal plan covering community-based suicide prevention; treatment and crisis services; surveillance, quality improvement, and research; and health equity in suicide prevention. Discusses rural populations and the barriers to suicide prevention in rural areas.
Additional links: Federal Action Plan
Date: 04/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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The Health and Social Impacts of the Maui Wildfires: Post-Disaster Care from a Sociocultural Lens
Highlights the impact of a wildfire event on existing health and social service disparities in Maui, Hawaii. Discusses housing, employment, finances, mental health, suicide risk, culture, social isolation, rurality, and service limitations. Notes opportunities and challenges for addressing these impacts using telehealth and outside assistance.
Author(s): Ryan Holliday, Lauren S. Krishnamurti, Shiloh E. Jordan, et al.
Citation: Hawai'i Journal of Health & Social Welfare, 83(3), 85-87
Date: 03/2024
Type: Document
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Examining the Burden of Public Stigma Associated With Mental Illness in the Rural U.S.
Webinar recording from March 12, 2024, in which speakers discuss a study examining stigma associated with mental illness in rural and nonrural communities, using a nationally representative panel-based survey. Includes discussion of their study examining rural suicide mortality rates.
Additional links: Slide Deck, Transcript
Date: 03/2024
Type: Video/Multimedia
Sponsoring organizations: East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health Research, NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis, Rural Health Equity Research Center, Rural Health Research Gateway
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The Suicide Epidemic in Rural Minnesota: How We Got Here and How We Move Forward
Provides information on the yearly increase of suicides and deaths of despair in Minnesota, with data broken down by sex, region, and rurality. Discusses factors that impact suicide rates in rural areas, with a focus on rural and indigenous cultures, farming, stigma, firearm access, and more.
Author(s): Marnie Werner, Tracie Rutherford Self
Date: 02/2024
Type: Document
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Rural Behavioral Health, Center for Rural Policy and Development
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