Mental health issues affect more than 40% of adults in the United States, and even more are expected to be affected, as most cases of mental health problems are not reported until ten years after the first effects were felt. For women, these numbers are even higher, and for African American communities, treatment is harder to come by.
With this, mental health resources for black women are in high demand, but difficult to find. With the COVID pandemic making online healthcare more accessible, remote resources for mental health level the proverbial playing field of availability, as patients do not have to travel to get care. This silver lining of the pandemic is expected to become more of a norm even after the virus has subsided. Here are a few of the resources black women can use to find mental health help online.
University Resources for Improving Black Mental Health
Universities have been historically ahead of the curve when it comes to technology, and when it comes to mental health resources, the story is no different. Depression, in particular, affects Black Americans at a higher percentage than the general public, and many universities have free information on how to deal with depression.
They also are great hubs for other resources for things like depression, and many have links to things like virtual therapist directories, and helplines for substance abuse and other mental health services geared specifically to Black Americans. Suicide is another mental health issue that disproportionately affects black people, and university websites are also great places to find resources to help overcome thoughts of suicide.
Anxiety & Depression Association of America's Mental Health Resources for African Americans
Anxiety and depression have an unfortunate common relationship, as one often leads to the other. With that, however, fixing one also fixes the other, and the ADAA provides many resources to help African Americans deal with both via their online mental health resources for African Americans.
The primary goal of the ADAA is to, of course, combat depression, but they have been making conscious and measurable efforts to ensure that every member of every community has the same opportunities for treatment, and online resources make that goal closer to a reality. Locational discrepancies in healthcare are glaring, and the ADAA aims to continue putting in work needed to reverse implicit biases in healthcare that lead to such issues.
Resources on Maternal Health Disparities in American
Of the many glaring statistics that point to racial disparity in healthcare in the United States, those in maternal care may be the worst. The mortality rate for black women is more than three times higher than that of white mothers, and access to proper resources (or a lack of) is a primary reason for these, and other maternal health disparities across the U.S.
Online resources for maternal healthcare can certainly provide an even playing field when it comes to knowledge, but the care given during and immediately after childcare is, simply put, not equal, and equal care in the brick-and-mortar world starts with education and advocacy.
Reasons for Optimism
Online resources can only offer so much, as many procedures and treatment measures need to be done in person. The abilities offered online regarding evaluation, however, are a good start in reversing the effects that implicit biases in healthcare have had on the black community since the donning of healthcare in the United States.
