We are well into May, and so we hope that wherever you spend your downtime scrolling, you've seen a post or two shared about Mental Health Awareness Month. If you have, it's proof that the conversations around mental health are increasing. If you haven't, we're happy to be your first.

History

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It was established in 1949 by Mental Health America (previously known as the National Association for Mental Health). Mental Health America is the United States's "leading nonprofit dedicated to the promotion of mental health, wellbeing, and illness prevention" (Mental Health America, n.d.). They, as well as many mental health organizations, provide ongoing support for public education, direct services, and research while also leading advocacy efforts and advancing public policy.

Although the persistent efforts of organizations like Mental Health America have contributed to numerous successful programs and policies improving accessibility to services, the work is far from over. 

Entering the Conversation

But why is a heavy equipment dealership writing about this? 

The easy answer is— because we care, and because...

• Farmers have been found to be a part of the population who typically don't seek help despite studies showing a higher need for it. Their occupation is a part of their core identity, and the factors contributing to a farmer's behavioral health—and their family's—are both apparent and extensive.
• The construction industry has also been shown to consistently have one of the highest suicide rates across industries. 
• We serve customers whose days and seasons are filled with long hours, social isolation, physical challenges, and higher economic stressors and vulnerabilities. 

Because this impacts all of us, we want to be a part of the conversation and the solution. 

The Solution

Those not typically contributing to policy work might think, 'But what can I do about that?' We get it, but we'd be mistaken in thinking there aren't ways to still be involved. Policies are advanced and improved upon over time with enough people speaking up. And even so, it's no secret that while the efforts to improve do persist, so do the everyday stigmas and naivety around mental health. This is where everyone's part truly does matter - for ourselves and for those around us. 

Statistics

You may be a numbers person, so let's check the statistics.

• Roughly 1 in 4 Americans, an estimated 26%, ages 18 and older, live with a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year, and many experience the co-occurrence of two or more mental disorders (John Hopkins Medicine, n.d.).
• Approximately 50% of all lifetime mental illnesses will appear by age 14 and 75% by age 24. (Kessler et al., 2005).
• Women are twice as likely to be diagnosed with a depressive disorder specifically and attempt suicide more often than men; however, four times as many men commit suicide (John Hopkins Medicine, n.d.).
• In 2022, suicide ranked among the top nine leading causes of death for people ages 10-64, as well as the second leading cause for people ages 10-14 and 20-34. In 2022, that was over 49,000 human beings (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023). Additionally, exposure to such in one's own family, peer group, or media can result in an increase in suicidal behaviors in the person(s) impacted (The Policy Circle, 2024).
• At least 17% of people will self-harm during their lifetime (Hull, 2021), and repetitive non-suicidal self-injury is more common than episodic (29.3% vs 8.3%) (Xiao et al., 2022).
• Farmers are 3.5 times more likely to commit suicide, a statistic that caught many news outlets' attention when released by the National Rural Health Association in 2023 and has been a widely recognized concern increasingly compared to the Farm Crisis of the 1980s (Rural Health Information Hub, 2019).
• The construction industry's suicide rate is about four times higher than the general population's, making it one of the highest suicide rates by industry (McCleery et al., 2020); (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, 2021).

Beyond the Numbers

Statistics can be powerful, but the human beings they represent are more than numbers and do not include all those who experience these things without reporting them. They are your neighbors, your friends, your local farmers, your coworkers, your family members, and perhaps even you. 

They deal with stressors we often can't see and cope in ways we might not understand or have to, and that's okay.

Our Challenge to You

This year, we challenge you. We challenge you to actively remind yourself that your mental health and wellness matter. Taking care of your mental and emotional wellbeing matters. You matter. And you can also have the gift and influence to be the person who helps and inspires others to do the same.

Check in with those around you. Go beyond asking, "How are you?" because we know all too well that "I'm fine" is an answer that is easy enough to give. Pay attention to their behaviors, changes, how present they seem, and the stressors they might be experiencing lately—and just make yourself there. Let them know that you're there, regardless of the season or version of themselves they feel, and then actually be there.

And if it is you this speaks to, we hope you'll let yourself tell someone who loves you and do it without reserve. Then, seek help from professionals —a counselor, a therapist, a psychologist, a helpline. This is what they are here for. If there are financial barriers to doing so, and there often are, we challenge you to commit to finding alternatives or ways to break them. Ask questions. Reallocate your budget. Invest in yourself. And if you're scared, nervous, or feel silly, let them know and go anyway. If you start and then come to find you don't jive with the person you found, go to someone else. However you do it, we urge you to push through and find a way.

Mental Health Awareness Month is coming to an end; don't let the conversations end with it. 

Follow Titan Machinery!