NW Minnesota News

Minnesota state health and agriculture officials report that they've received "an overwhelming response" to suicide-prevention training sessions for farmers and others agricultural professionals, according to a recent news report.

Suicide Alertness for Everyone, or "safeTALK" sessions began in October, according to a Nov. 17 Minnesota Public Radio report. Farmers and other agricultural professionals have been especially plagued of late by economic hardship and poor weather that has added stress to the region and safeTalk sessions help loved ones spot signs of a mental health crisis, according to the report.

"It's a pretty intense training," Minnesota Department of Agriculture Senior Adviser Meg Moynihan was quoted in the report.

SafeTALK offers half-day training programs that provide participants with information about how to recognize and engage individuals who might be thinking about harming or killing themselves and how to connect them with community suicide-prevention resources.

"SafeTALK stresses safety while challenging taboos that inhibit open talk about suicide," the Suicide Prevention Resource Center says on its website. "The program recommends that an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills-trained resource or other community support resource be at all trainings."

SafeTALK objectives include challenging attitudes that inhibit open talk about suicide, how to engage someone contemplating suicide in direct, open talk and how to listen to them to show they are taken seriously, according to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center's website. Moynihan described the four-hour, evidence-based training sessions that help attendees learn to spot the signs that someone is contemplating suicide and what skills are needed to engage such individuals, according to the MPR report.

"We're helping people realize that they have the capacity and the strength to do this and the bravery to do this, for themselves and for other people," Moynihan said.

Information is available for anyone who would like more information about upcoming safeTALK training sessions or to find more resources for coping with farm and rural stress.