The United States’ Mountain West region contains eight of the top ten states with the highest suicide rates in our country. The suicide rate in the Rocky Mountains is nearly three times the national per capita average, earning the Rockies the nickname, “The Suicide Belt.” But the mountain community doesn’t talk about this. Why? Because mental health struggles don’t fit into the carefully curated “best outdoor life” aesthetic. Longtime Telluride, Colorado resident Ben Marshall knows this all too well. Daily panic attacks, anxiety, and depression derailed Ben’s life in his early twenties. After receiving professional treatment and building positive mental health, Ben began to work for Tri County Health Network, a non profit that focuses on mental health services. Ben’s ongoing goal is to help clear away the stigma that shrouds mental health in the mountains. Because truly, this is a life or death issue.
Credits: Produced by Paddy O’Connell, Elizabeth Nakano, Fitz Cahall and Becca Cahall. Edited by Alex Park. Additional production help from Julia Caulfield from KOTO Radio in Telluride, Colorado. Music by Brendan O’Connell.
Appreciate you talking about this, and not chiming in in divisive issues. This is something we all agree on! As a Christian therapist and life coach, it matters to me that brands I love help w important but non-controversial issues. Thanks!
I am a registered nurse and have struggled with depression that led to alcoholism requiring rehabilitation. Unfortunately the stigma is still even present within the medical community (people who are supposedly educated and therefore assumed to be more empathetic towards mental illness and addiction). I am determined to be a part of breaking that stigma both personally and within my profession and think your podcast is so very important and will help many people. Thank you!