Addressing the mental health crisis among agriculture producers
Resources for farmers and ranchers are at an all time low. As of September 2025, over 60% of rural communities have mental health provider shortages.
According to Mental Health First Aid, in the United States, almost half of all adults (46.4 percent) will experience a mental health illness in their lifetime with 5 percent of adults (18 or older) experiencing a mental illness in any one given year, equivalent to 43.8 million people. Half of all mental health disorders begin by age 14 and three-quarters by the age of 24; directly affecting our youth and young adult population.
Mental health and substance use challenges take on many forms including, but not limited to, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder and more. Some of these challenges are more visible than others and may be recognized more quickly. Others may be harder to recognize when one is not directly looking for them. Common signs of mental illness or substance abuse challenges in adults and adolescents, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), can include the following:
• Excessive worrying or fear
• Feeling excessively sad or low
• Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
• Extreme mood changes, including “highs” or feelings of euphoria
• Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
• Avoiding friends and social activities
• Difficulties understanding or relating to other people
• Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
• Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
• Changes in sex drive
• Difficulty perceiving reality (delusions or hallucinations, in which a person experiences and senses things that don’t exist in objective reality)
• Inability to perceive changes in one’s own feelings, behavior or personality (” lack of insight” or anosognosia)
• Overuse of substances like alcohol or drugs
• Multiple physical ailments without obvious causes (such as headaches, stomach aches, vague and ongoing “aches and pains”)
• Thinking about suicide
• Inability to carry out daily activities or handle daily problems and stress
• An intense fear of weight gain or concern with appearance
As mentioned, mental health conditions can also begin to develop in young children. Because they’re still learning how to identify and talk about thoughts and emotions, their most obvious symptoms are behavioral. Symptoms in children may include the following:
• Changes in school performance
• Excessive worry or anxiety, for instance fighting to avoid bed or school
• Hyperactive behavior
• Frequent nightmares
• Frequent disobedience or aggression
• Frequent temper tantrums
If a mental health or substance abuse challenge is affecting you, or someone you know, there are several resources available to learn more about or get connected with for help and assistance. If you are in a crisis, or you know someone who is, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by phone or text or dial 911 in case of emergency. Individuals may also reach out to their insurance provider(s), primary care doctor, state/county mental health authority, the NAMI help line (1-800-950-NAMI (6264)) private practitioner or other trained professional in your area. Talk to your treatment provider to discuss the best option for you.
