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Rural Health Information Hub

Rural Mental Health – Resources

Selected recent or important resources focusing on Rural Mental Health.

Rural Health Research Recap: Rural Behavioral Health Workforce
Summarizes recent research from Rural Health Research Centers examining numbers of social workers, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and counselors. Features statistics including percent of counties without behavioral health professionals from 2014-2021 and behavioral health professionals per 100,000 residents from 2014-2021, with breakdowns by urban or rural location and profession type.
Author(s): Jessica Rosencrans
Date: 08/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Research Gateway
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The Urgent Need for Firearm Suicide Prevention Research in the Rural US
Highlights a study on rural firearm suicide. Discusses the role of firearms in suicide mortality and breaks down suicide data in the U.S. and West Virginia by rurality and method.
Author(s): Eric W Lundstrom, Jacob K Pence, Gordon S Smith
Citation: Rural and Remote Health, 23, 8267
Date: 08/2023
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Study Protocol for a Multi-Level Cross-Sectional Study on the Equitable Reach and Implementation of Coordinated Specialty Care for Early Psychosis
Examines ways to improve outreach and access to rural and underserved communities in relation to coordinated specialty care (CSC) for early psychosis. Discusses the creation of a geospatial database of CSC programs in the U.S. that includes program-level data, provider-level data, and neighborhood-level census data.
Author(s): Oladunni Oluwoye, Ari Lissau, Sheldon Stokes, et al.
Citation: Implementation Science Communications, 4, 90
Date: 08/2023
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A Look at the Latest Suicide Data and Change Over the Last Decade
Examines suicide death rates by race/ethnicity, sex, age, and rurality between 2011 and 2021 by using CDC WONDER data. Includes data on the number of deaths by suicide overall and by firearms using provisional 2022 data. Describes these trends in relation to the implementation of the 988 crisis number in July 2022.
Author(s): Heather Saunders, Nirmita Panchal
Date: 08/2023
Sponsoring organization: KFF
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Feasibility of Delivering a Virtual 1-Day Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Workshop to Rural Veterans Through Community Partnerships
Examines the efficacy of a one day virtual workshop for veterans undergoing psychological stress. Breaks down participant data by age, sex, branch of service, and rural versus urban residence, among other measures. Highlights the results of the pilot project and makes recommendations based on findings.
Author(s): Lilian Dindo, Angelic Chaison, Merlyn Rodrigues, et al.
Citation: Contemporary Clinical Trials Communication, 34, 101178
Date: 08/2023
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Urban-Rural Differences in Mental Health Concerns: Findings from a Survey of the American General Population
Provides metro versus nonmetro population comparisons related to mental health perceptions, concerns, knowledge, and awareness, utilizing 2022 National Alliance on Mental Illness survey data.
Author(s): Adee Athiyaman
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
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Rural Social Isolation, with Carrie Henning-Smith
An episode of the Exploring Rural Health podcast featuring Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, Deputy Director of the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. Focuses on rural social isolation, the negative effects it has on wellness, and how it can be mitigated.
Date: 07/2023
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Information Hub
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National, State-Level, and County-Level Prevalence Estimates of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Self-Reporting a Lifetime Diagnosis of Depression — United States, 2020
Looks at U.S. adults 18 years and older self-reporting a lifetime diagnosis of depression. Includes a map showing county-level information, as well as a separate file providing model-based age-standardized county-level prevalence estimates.
Additional links: Supplementary Table: County-Level Estimates
Author(s): Benjamin Lee, Yan Wang, Susan A. Carlson, et al.
Citation: MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report), 72(24), 644-650
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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Mental Health Treatment Among Children Aged 5–17 Years: United States, 2021
Reports on U.S. children between the ages of 5 and 17 who had counseling or therapy from a mental health professional or took prescription medication for mental health in the past 12 months. Includes data for children living in nonmetropolitan areas, small or medium metro areas, and large metro areas.
Author(s): Benjamin Zablotsky, Amanda E. Ng
Date: 06/2023
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Statistics
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Expansion of Telehealth Availability for Mental Health Care After State-Level Policy Changes From 2019 to 2022
Explores mental health access associated with state-level telehealth policy changes due to COVID-19. Highlights disparities in mental health via telehealth access before and after COVID-related policy changes and details access rates in counties based on race and rurality, among other measures.
Author(s): Ryan K. McBain, Megan S. Schuler, Nabeel Qureshi, et al.
Citation: JAMA Network Open, 6(6), e2318045
Date: 06/2023
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Last Updated: 2/18/2025