Dear black women struggling with Depression:
Health Disparities and stigma that surround mental health, create barriers for patients and impede treatment. Depression is not only treated at lower rates in the African-American community, particularly among Black women, but of those who do receive treatment, many don’t receive adequate treatment. To expand the awareness of the value of contextualized data on depressed African American women, creating an online support group for depressed African American women that is both valid and culturally relevant, would enhance compliance with treatment protocols.
Stereotypes such as the “Angry Black Woman” or the “Black Superwoman” are based in a reality in which black women are expected to do everything perfectly and all at once. Through the ideal of the strong Black woman, African-American women are subject not only to historically rooted racist and sexist characterizations of Black women as a group but also a matrix of unrealistic interracial expectations that construct Black women as unshakable, unassailable and naturally strong.
Online communities have an effect on participant retention and the effectiveness of automated lifestyle interventions just like geographical communities. An active online community might contain user posted stories about overcoming barriers, empathic messages of support for those who are struggling, and celebrations of success.
If we can figure out how effective psychotherapy and social support can be maximized by electronic support groups, it could leverage social support, positive social modeling, and dynamic content to keep users engaged and to support behavior change.
It is important to find a provider who demonstrates cultural competence - which describes the ability of healthcare systems to provide care to patients with diverse values, beliefs and behaviors and taking into account their social, cultural and linguistic needs.
An online support group for African American women who suffer from depression, designed by female African American health professionals can help strengthen and maintain the relationship between clinician-and-patient; proving that community building (whether online or geographical) leads to effective interventions.
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