Warning Signs
If you or someone you know is struggling with stress, anxiety, loneliness, depression, addiction or any of the following mental health challenges, please reach out and ask for help.
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- Excessive worrying or fear
- Feeling excessively sad or lot
- Confused thinking or problems concentrating and learning
- Extreme mood changes, including uncontrollable “highs”
- Prolonged or strong feelings of irritability or anger
- Avoiding friends and social activities
- Changes in sleeping habits or feeling tired and low energy
- Changes in eating habits such as increased hunger or lack of appetite
- Abuse 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
Resources
You can visit your primary care provider, a mental health professional, a walk-in clinic, an Urgent Care Center or an Emergency Room to get mental health help.
Find a Mental Health Provider
Community Health Center Association of Mississippi (CHCAMS)
Reach out via Phone & Text Lines
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline
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Crisis Text Line: Text TALK to 741-741 (Text with a trained counselor from the Crisis Text Line for free, 24/7)
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Mental Health Awareness
MFBF Highlights Resources for Farmers During Mental Health Awareness Month
Mental health continues to be a growing concern in the world, especially in the agriculture industry. Farmers, ranchers and rural community members face numerous challenges to their way of life on a daily basis that are out of their control. In the last decade, those...
Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation 2020 YF&R Excellence in Agriculture Award: Alex and Katie Holtcamp
Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation 2020 Young Farmers & Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture Award winners, Alex and Katie Holtcamp, never want to stop learning, which is what drives them to stay active in the agriculture industry. Alex manages his family’s six...
MFBF aiding in discussion to bring rural mental health issues to the forefront
Natural disasters, volatile commodity prices, a global pandemic - no wonder farmers are experiencing high volumes of stress! Mental health is just as important as physical safety on the farm. The American Farm Bureau Federation is leading the discussion for more...
Mental health concerns for farmers, rural communities increases with COVID-19
Mississippi’s farmers, ranchers and rural communities have faced innumerable hardships in the last two years, including flooding, trade wars and low commodity prices, creating a push behind the issue of mental health on the farm and in rural areas. Unfortunately, the...
MFBF encourages farmers to utilize state’s mental health resources
For the last several years, farmers have faced flooding, lower commodity prices, trade tariffs, and many other unforeseen challenges, making it difficult for them to make a living. Due to the rising number of challenges farmers are facing, the growing concern on the...
Helpful Links
American Farm Bureau Federation – Farm State of Mind
American Farm Bureau Federation – Rural Resilience
Mississippi State University Extension – The PROMISE Initiative
Community Health Center Association of Mississippi (CHCAMS)
Louisiana Rural Mental Health Alliance
Upper Midwest Ag Safety & Health Center Stress & Mental Health Help
AgriSafe Network Mental Health Resource
Michigan State University Extension – Managing Farm Stress:
North Dakota State University Extension – Farm and Ranch Stress
University of Minnesota Extension – Coping with Rural Stress
Rural Health Information (RHI) Hub – Rural Response to Farmer Mental Health and Suicide Prevention