Suicide awareness in rural communities can help save lives

As we launch into Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, an outline focusing on how and why more rural residents die by suicide, paired with resources on how friends and family members can help, may save lives.

Due to unpredictability in everything from weather to political strife, farming is more financially stressful than most other professions. It also tends to be more solitary, which can make farmers more vulnerable to excessive worry, depression and despair.

"Signs of stress in the farm economy are everywhere you turn, and with corn futures hitting fresh lows, crumbling commodity prices are painting a dreary outlook for 2025, and the financial pressures are causing another bleak reality: farmer suicides are also on the rise," reports Tyne Morgan for Farm Journal.

If a farmer in your community looks like they need support, there are resources and approaches neighbors can take, including encouraging a call to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or chat on 988lifeline.org, or texting HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor.

Farm Journal provides a "toolbox" with what to look for and how to help here.

The availability of firearms in rural homes is a significant reason why more rural people commit suicide. "Rural gun deaths exceed urban rates by 28% because of increased suicide rates," reports Sarah Melotte for the Missouri Independent. Guns are considered the most lethal choice for a person contemplating suicide.

Graph by Sarah Melotte, from CDC data

Rural communities that support waiting periods for gun purchases and red flag laws may be able to  decrease suicide rates. Mellote explains, "Waiting periods could help rural communities in the American West that have some of the highest suicide rates in the country. . . . Red flag laws allow law enforcement or concerned family members to petition a court to remove firearms from individuals deemed to be a threat to themselves or others."

While the intention of a person's drug overdose can be unclear, some are determined to be suicides. Drug overdoses are not inherently unique to rural residents; however, awareness of those who may be more vulnerable may help prevent a suicide due to drugs.

In 2020 alone, nearly 92,000 people died from drug overdoses in the U.S. According to the CDC, about 5% to 7% of those overdose deaths were recorded as intentional. "Because it can be difficult to determine whether overdose deaths are intentional, the actual numbers are likely even higher."

To address the numerous reasons for suicide and interventions available for all communities, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides a range of resources. Additionally, the Rural Health Information Hub has offers a program clearinghouse specifically curated for rural communities.

Finally, suicide is complicated for children and adolescents to understand. The University of Utah offers an age-by-age guide for talking to children about suicide.