Treatment Centers

An individual dealing with depression must seek certain methods of care in order to come out of the “funk” depression can cause. There are some, however, that believe depression is caused by outside factors that impact the effectiveness of the treatment.

According to a new release posted by Science Daily, African-American women frame their beliefs about depression and depression care around racism. This finding is the result of a study conducted by the Oregon Health & Science University.

In this study, participants were asked to share their experiences and beliefs about the relationship between violence and health in general, as well as mental health, depression, and depression treatments. Overall, researchers identified mistrust that runs very deep of what these individuals consider a “White” health care system in this country.

As a result of this belief, these women tend to be extremely wary of the majority of depression treatments and providers they associate with systems of care that are exclusively “white”.

With these findings, researchers suggest that physical and mental health professionals seek to better understand and acknowledge the impact racism can have on the forming of experiences and perceptions among patients.

There is also a perception among this crowd that the desire is to be a “strong Black woman” and this expectation is often a barrier to seeking the proper help and care in times of depression.

Those participating in the study shared a desire for community-based depression programs that would effectively address violence and drug use. They wanted these programs staffed by African-Americans with what they considered to be real-life experiences.