Steve and Debbie Terrill, founders of Mindful Minds (Photos by Jeffry Konczal)
There’s an idealistic nature about rural and small-town Ohio. People know their neighbors, they support their community, and they take care of each other when families face tough times. On its surface, it’s like Mayberry — but better, because it’s real.
With all of the wonderful aspects of small-town life in Ohio, however, there are challenges, and right now, one of the toughest of those is a growing struggle with mental health problems.
“Our rural communities are experiencing a crisis with drug addiction, suicide, and many other issues associated with mental health,” says Steve Terrill, founder of Mindful Minds, a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) volunteer organization dedicated to advocating for public mental health education.
A 2015 report from the National Council of Behavioral Health said that more than half a million Ohio residents suffer from serious mental illness, while a study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says that less than half of those who need treatment receive it — whether because no one recognizes the problem, or they simply can’t find services. It’s part of the reason that the suicide rate in rural America has increased by 40 percent in the last 20 years.
“Rural folks have always been known for both their independence and for looking out for one another,” Terrill says. “Unfortunately, few of us have had any kind of basic mental health education to teach us both how to take care of our own minds and help others in need. Very few people are able to recognize when or why something might be wrong — or have any idea of what to do about it.”
Terrill and his wife, Debbie, know firsthand the potentially devastating effects of that lack of knowledge. They had returned to their childhood stomping grounds near Bellefontaine in Logan County when their son Kevin, on active duty in the U.S. Army, took his own life on base at Fort Polk, Louisiana.
“Very few people are able to recognize when or why something might be wrong — or have any idea of what to do about it.”
“Life is real, and there are times where you cannot just look away and hope and pray that it won’t happen to any family or friends,” Terrill says. He believes that many tragedies could be prevented if more people were knowledgeable about mental health and the factors that can lead to addiction or suicide. The couple took a course called Mental Health First Aid, and decided it was imperative they bring it to their community.
That was when they founded Mindful Minds, to bring the training into the community. Mental Health First Aid teaches about types of mental issues, how to watch for warning signs, and when and how to seek help. It focuses on prevention and providing early intervention instead of waiting for a crisis.
“Life is real, and there are times where you cannot just look away and hope and pray that it won’t happen to any family or friends.”
“What we are doing is similar to the first aid everyone knows about, where you are the first contact, the first bridge before professional care can take over,” Debbie Terrill says. “Instead of CPR, though, you might learn to help someone get through a panic attack. It’s not as though people don’t want to help; they simply don’t know how, and that’s where Mental Health First Aid comes in.”
Mindful Minds offers the Mental Health First Aid course on a regular basis, and also makes it available to local organizations and businesses. To contact Steve and Debbie Terrill, call 919-623-0952, e-mail MindfulMindsHealth@gmail.com, or visit www.mindful-minds.net.
Jayne Houchin
Sister’s schizophrenia is an issue for the entire family
“I don’t exactly remember why or how she got that bad. But one day Dad called me and my younger brother, and he asked us to come over — that he and Mom needed help dealing with my sister and her baby. So we got there, and that’s when my sister was barricaded in the back bedroom. She was hearing voices and usually when she hears voices, to her it’s the devil. And the devil tells her to do things she knows she shouldn’t do. So she’s fighting with the devil while at the same time trying to do what the devil tells her to do because that’s the only way she knows how to get rid of him. Dad wanted one of us to get in the room — our whole thinking process was, ‘We gotta get the baby out of there before she does something to the baby,’ because you don’t know what the devil is going to have her do. She turned her back for just a second and my brother scooped up the baby, and I was waiting on the other side of the door. She was madder than a hornet. She wouldn’t come out of the room. But we had to get through the night; there was nowhere to call for help. I think Dad tried, but we knew the answer — you have to wait until morning. We had to wait, and it was a long night.”
Tony Furst
Parent of a child with bipolar disorder searches for answers
“My wife’s sister’s kids came to live with us. As the little one got older, we started seeing some issues, and the doctors said she’s got some ADHD issues. Then we started noticing other issues — some days she was a happy-go-lucky sixth-grader, and other days she was dark, depressed, and moody. One night she came to us and said, ‘I’m hearing voices. I don’t know what they’re saying, it sounds like they’re in Spanish.’ We started reaching out trying to find mental health professionals who could deal with kids. What we found was that even in Columbus, getting in to see mental health professionals for kids almost took an act of Congress. It took us four months. We finally figured out she suffers from depression. Then, as we were going down that pathway, she came to us, still having the voices in her head, and the problem now was she was starting to understand what the voices were saying, and they were telling her to hurt herself. The doctor has now told us that she is bipolar. We’ll keep trying.”
Rob Underwood
School administrator, looks for ways to address issues he sees every day
“My wife is a guidance counselor at another local school and she’d say, ‘I dealt with this student issue today,’ or ‘I have this student who is really struggling,’ and I’m coming back to her, ‘Well, we have this similar problem.’ We’re in different districts and we are facing the same issues. I know out in the rural areas sometimes it may be tough to find resources, especially as a farmer, where you are almost like an independent business owner — you don’t have that network of people to support you. As an educator and a community member, I always ask: Are we doing enough to maintain our students’ mental well-being? I also hope our staff can be reflective and think about their own personal mental health. We’re teaching our staff Mental Health First Aid. Hopefully, we can set an example for our community.”
Warren Taylor
Farmer, electric cooperative trustee reflects on his past
“I come from a family where my dad never worried much about anything his entire life, and I think I took after my father. But I have had times where the stress, the emotions in my life … well, there was a time when I would’ve been quite willing to commit suicide. For people to think that I could even say those words, they must wonder, ‘What did he have, that he would think about that?’ That’s a long story, but I just really didn’t care to live. I got over it, but it went on about a year. At the time, we had a very excellent minister, and he was fantastic on counseling; and yes, he did help me a great deal. I look back on it — I was a mess.”
