Women Get a Voice in Conventional Agriculture

After providing emotional support to peers who were struggling with suicidal thoughts, a college student in Philadelphia created a Twitter group "to prevent suicide and raise awareness for mental health." Although not a replacement for professional help, the Buddy Project has provided support for 230,000 people worldwide and raised $36,000 for mental health and recovery centers.

Recent statists are showing that an alarming number of veterinarians are committing suicide due to a variety of reasons from emotional stress to financial strain. Not One More Vet, a Facebook group started by a veterinarian in California, is serving as an unofficial mental health resource for many in the field.

Linking health care workers to mental health counselors helps reduce the risk of suicide. In response to a high rate of suicides among clinicians and students at the University of California San Diego, the school implemented a proactive suicide prevention program. The Healer Education Assessment and Referral (HEAR) program focuses on providing resources and on helping healthcare workers debrief from traumatic experiences at work.

Suicide is becoming increasingly common in the veterinary medicine field due to many factors such as financial anxiety and the extreme stress of the job in general. To combat this, veterinarian organizations are connecting veterinarians with one another, focusing on improving community mental health and reducing stigma.

The restaurant industry can be incredibly stressful for those that work in it, but a chef based in Sacramento is trying to change this by focusing efforts on suicide prevention through education, trainings and other resource implementation. "This is a place for me to help my people," he says. "We are storytellers at the end of the day. And one of our stories is going to be about mental health."

Farmers are using the hashtag #agtwitter to discuss mental health challenges, provide information about resources, and organize offline support. In areas of the country where studies consistently show mental health resources are scarce and suicide rates high, twitter provides a space for peer-to-peer support.

Expanding the reach of traditional counseling, colleges are creating programs to meet the needs of the student body’s mental health care. These programs include training students to provide peer support and mental health awareness organizations.

Among policy proposals to reduce gun violence the most effective are background checks and the use of focused deterrence by law enforcement. The latter is where police meet with community leaders and members of criminal groups to warn of harsh penalties for gun use, while also connecting people with resources to help them move beyond criminal activity. Laws that temporarily remove guns from those who may be suicidal or homicidal also show promise, but there isn't much data on them yet.

The Livestock Farmers Field School trains prominent farmers in how to prevent, spot, and treat Rift Valley Fever in their cattle. Trainees then lead information sessions in their communities, raising local awareness of the disease and helping small farmers address symptoms before the disease progresses.

Findcenter, an online platform offering free articles, podcasts, videos, and workshops focused on emotional health and self-development, launched a library of content designed to help college students who face high rates of anxiety and other mental health concerns. Students at Nigeria's Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, who have limited access to in-person therapy services, say the resource has helped them find some stability and relief.