ROAD: Creating Community to Cope with Depression
Clinical depression in mothers, which may be triggered by the stress of living in poverty or trauma like domestic violence, affects their ability to hold a job and meet other responsibilities and can jeopardize their children's social and emotional development. Mental health practice has emphasized medication and/or clinical therapy as the treatment of choice for depression, but this often is neither acceptable to many in low-income communities of color, nor effective in addressing a condition that has significant real-world contributing factors. ROAD (Reaching Out About Depression) is a grassroots, non-clinical alternative which uses peer support, education, and social activism to overcome depressed women's sense of isolation and restore their confidence and capacity to change their situation.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s interest in the program began with a recognition that maternal depression threatens many of its priorities, including school readiness, economic success, social connectedness, and civic participation. The Foundation decided to "bet" on a fledgling model that was consistent with community preferences and its own commitment to community-led endeavors, providing financial support and technical assistance to help build a sustainable organization. Simultaneously, the Foundation has supported other non-clinical models, research, and related work that together constitute an overall strategy to elevate the issue and evoke more comprehensive and culturally sensitive responses to depression among disadvantaged populations.
- Women who have participated in ROAD activities report feeling less isolated, less depressed, and better able to handle the challenges they confront. The original group who founded the program now lead the peer support and education sessions that help others.
- The National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened a meeting to gather information on maternal depression and family functioning, at which Annie E. Casey Foundation staff, grantees and others made presentations. Based in part on this meeting, the IOM has launched the Committee on Depression, Parenting Practices, and the Healthy Development of Young Children to explore and make recommendations on these interrelated issues. The findings of this Committee are likely to give parental depression high visibility and prompt important and timely changes in practice. Other organizations with considerable stature and sway also are looking at the topic, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, whose members potentially could be early identifiers when mothers bring their children in for care.
- ROAD has received grants from local foundations and has affiliated with Cambridge Health Alliance, one of the area’s largest providers of mental health services. Thus far, there has not been a substantial commitment of public or philanthropic dollars to complement Casey’s leadership on the issue of maternal depression. However, growing interest by the IOM, other federal entities, and a number of foundations suggest that broader engagement and support is likely to be forthcoming.
For more information, read the full ROAD (Reaching Out About Depression) Profile, which includes background on the program, why this was of interest to the Casey Foundation, and our return on investment.
Contact:
Reaching Out About Depression
www.roadcambridge.org
www.challiance.org/comm_affairs/road.shtml
road@challiance.org
617-591-6909