A Kansas State University official says an upcoming training session available to Kansans will help to address a concerning trend in mental health and resilience to stress in communities across the state.
Tawnie Larson, a program manager for the Kansas Agriculture Safety and Health program at K-State, said 20 spots are open for an online train-the-trainer workshop called Changing Our Mental and Emotional Trajectory, or COMET.
The session is planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (CST) on Sept. 22. Registration is available online. It is being hosted by K-State Extension’s Stress and Resiliency Transdisciplinary team.
“The training,” she said, “is aimed at expanding the number of trusted community members equipped to recognize mental health concerns and connect people with help.”
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reports that adult mental illness affects about 1 in 5 Kansans. The need is disproportionate in rural areas, where an estimated 27% of adults experience mental illness, compared with 19% of urban adults.
In addition, a KDHE analysis of suicide trends from 2011 through 2021 found that frontier counties – a term for sparsely populated areas that are isolated from major population centers and services -- had the highest age-adjusted suicide rate, followed by rural counties (defined as having less severe isolation from services compared to frontier counties). Rural counties also experienced a 191.5% increase in the suicide rate during the period studied.
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