The Rural Blog

A digest of events, trends, issues, ideas and journalism from and about rural America, by the Institute for Rural Journalism, based at the University of Kentucky. Links may expire, require subscription or go behind pay walls. Please send news and knowledge you think would be useful to benjy.hamm@uky.edu.

The Rural Blog

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The holidays can be emotionally difficult for many people. Here is a 'prescription' to help navigate the season ahead.

Rates of depression in Appalachia are startling; persistent stigma keeps residents from asking for help

A look at the little-known, but critical, work of Depression-era Black workers in the Civilian Conservation Corps

Pandemic roundup: anxiety and depression skyrocketing, why reopening restaurants is a terrible idea, and more

Pandemic stress could prompt spike in rural mental health problems and suicides; see county-level estimates

Iowa program to help farmers struggling with mental health in the pandemic; national resources listed

Poor, rural moms with chronic depression may face greater health problems, according to new study

Stringed-instrument school in southeastern Kentucky helps give recovering opioid addicts a sense of purpose

Study links auto-plant closures with upticks in opioid deaths

Extending Medicaid pregnancy coverage could save lives; 'We actually abandon women after delivery,' doctor says

Telepsychiatry helps rural areas access mental health care, but lack of broadband can limit reach of telehealth in general

Firearm suicide prevention efforts are tricky in rural Utah

Study finds that adverse childhood experiences increase risk of opioid addiction, relapse after treatment

Study shows link between frequent exposure to insecticides and a higher risk of depression and anxiety in teenagers

Suicide and drug overdoses, of which rural people are at more risk, help decrease average life expectancy in the U.S.

Disability benefits are nearly twice as common in rural areas, and they can deepen a cultural divide

CDC study says rural suicide rates outpacing urban ones, suggests possible link to rise in opioid use

Youth suicide is increasing in rural areas but declining in metros; Utah paper takes a look

Experts warn of latent mental health concerns following fires like the ones in Smoky Mountains

Prescriptions for psychiatric drugs, most from non-psychiatrists, are partly blamed for rising suicide rate among white, middle-aged women