It is no secret that recently the overconsumption of internet sources has led to numerous issues of depression, anxiety, and loss of confidence in one’s body image. However, despite the cumulative disadvantage that AI and social media have brought us to, new research shows that it could be a potential therapy for those mentioned issues for pregnant and/or postpartum women.
Gwen Latendresse, PhD, has put her work into the field of studying whether there is a new possible intervention that could help women with perinatal depression. In order to avoid social stigma and “make sure nobody fell through the cracks,” she decided to start with a questionnaire at several states’ postpartum and pregnancy public health clinics and across U of U Health, even in some rural districts. As a way to confront those who showed a risk of having depression, they were redirected to outside resources and invited to telehealth support groups established by Latendresse. The latter would include pregnant women and new mothers joining for weekly sessions, which were composed of mindfulness and therapy techniques, and a platform for them to connect with others sharing a similar struggle. This accessible program was made in online format as well to “normalise it, [so] you don’t feel as marginalised. You can feel like you are part of a community.” The results have produced a revelation that after this simple eight month program, the depression scores have significantly lowered from what they were a half year ago. The in-person visits with an online platform integrated in them helped the participants to decrease a sense of loneliness and share experiences with others.
This research, conducted by Latendresse, directly shows the insistence needed to keep fighting for equality within the field of basic human rights – mental health. Moreover, it serves as proof that online platforms can be modelled to serve the need of connecting others with similar experiences – or symptoms – to each other and remove that barrier of stigma that has been created by the lack of initiative. This study showcases the internet as a tool needed for ‘on-demand’ mental health services to be provided to ensure that all can get the mental health support they need, which can physically impact our future generations, in case of perinatal effects of apathy towards change
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