Rural Mental Health – Resources

Suicide Surveillance Strategies for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities
Features a report on suicide data collection strategies for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Presents case studies from different tribal communities and supporting resources for each strategy discussed.
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organization: Suicide Prevention Resource Center
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Rural Suicide: One California County's Fight to Save Lives
Series of articles exploring the causes for high rates of suicide in rural areas of Northern California, including Amador, Calaveras, and Mariposa counties. Topics include shortages of mental health professionals and the higher risk of suicide among veterans and in tribal communities.
Author(s): Sammy Caiola
Date: 2018
Sponsoring organization: Capital Public Radio
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Suicide Clusters Within American Indian and Alaska Native Communities: A Review of the Literature and Recommendations
Analyzes suicide clusters within American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations to develop recommendations to prevent and address suicide clusters within AI/AN communities. Discusses risk, developmental, and protective factors influencing likelihood that individuals will consider, attempt, or complete suicide.
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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Understanding the Impact of Suicide In Rural America
Analyzes suicide rates and the impact of suicide in rural areas, highlights suicide in tribal communities and suicide prevention among U.S. veterans. Covers state and federal prevention strategies and discusses recommendations for research and evaluation, and outreach, promotion, and awareness.
Date: 12/2017
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
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Rural Health Research Recap: Rural Behavioral Health
Summarizes key findings from the Rural Health Research Centers' most recent rural behavioral health projects. Discusses mental illness prevalence in rural areas, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among rural children, access to behavioral health services in rural communities, and rural behavioral health interventions. Provides links to each of the referenced source documents.
Author(s): Shawnda Schroeder
Date: 11/2017
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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Mental Health Best Practices with Kari Oyen
Kari Oyen, professor of School Psychology at the University of South Dakota, discusses mental health issues including suicidal behavior in rural America, the role played by school psychologists, and prevention services based on risk factors including single-parent homes, poverty, and poor attendance at school.
Date: 10/2017
Sponsoring organizations: Center for Rural Affairs, National Rural Education Association
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Suicide Trends Among and Within Urbanization Levels by Sex, Race/Ethnicity, Age Group, and Mechanism of Death — United States, 2001–2015
Reports on county-level trends in suicide rates during 2001–2015 for large metropolitan, medium/small metropolitan, and nonmetro counties. Includes data by gender, race/ethnicity, and age group. Covers the mechanism of death, with data on firearms, hanging/suffocation, drug poisoning, non-drug poisoning, and other causes.
Author(s): Asha Z. Ivey-Stephenson, Alex E. Crosby, Shane P. D. Jack, Tadesse Haileyesus, Marcie-jo Kresnow-Sedacca
Citation: MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 66(18), 1-16
Date: 10/2017
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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A Toolkit for Legislative Reform: Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Mental Illness in Rural States
Toolkit details methods to improve access to mental health treatment in rural communities through the criminal justice system. Presents options for state policy reform, using South Dakota's mental illness intervention law as a case study.
Author(s): Barbara A. Pierce
Date: 09/2017
Sponsoring organization: Crime and Justice Institute
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Veteran Suicide: A Growing Problem in Colorado
A suicide prevention brief demonstrating how rural veterans and active duty service members in Colorado are disproportionally affected by suicide. Discusses the mental health status of veterans and barriers to accessing mental health services. Describes several strategies and prevention programs to help prevent veteran suicide.
Author(s): Karam Ahmad, Jaclyn Zubrzycki, Ashlie Brown, et al.
Date: 07/2017
Sponsoring organization: Colorado Health Institute
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Addressing Mental Health Needs: Perspectives of African Americans Living in the Rural South
Examines mental health, mental health treatment, and barriers to treatment for rural South African American residents to develop culturally competent treatment approaches. Includes characteristics data for age group, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, employment, and gender.
Author(s): Tiffany F. Haynes, Ann M. Cheney, J. Greer Sullivan, et al.
Citation: Psychiatric Services, 68(6), 573-578
Date: 06/2017
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