Mental Health and the Digital Divide

The internet is an extremely helpful tool for people who have mental health issues if they know how to use it effectively. However, in order to use it effectively, they must have access to it. The Digital Divide refers to the idea that certain groups of people do not have access, in general, to as much technology as other groups of people.

For example, minorities and those on the lower rungs of the economic hierarchy in general have less access to the tools for improving mental health. This means that they will possibly suffer more because they do not have these resources available. According to an infographic on Mashable, 46% of poor people do not own a computer, while only 4% of those who are wealthy do not own a computer.

The internet has been an invaluable tool for my personal mental health. I struggle with a few mental health problems, including OCD, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and hypochondria. I have found valuable resources for each of these problems using the internet. What is unique to the internet in terms of finding help with mental health problems is that you can search for a very individualized problem, such as "I am having a panic attack about being sick", and you will often discover a result specific to that problem. If someone does not have internet access, they would have to rely on books from a library or perhaps someone who they know, but they might not be able to get the individualized attention and advice for their specific problem.

The idea of The Digital Divide is related to the ideas of capital that we discussed earlier in the year in class. Social capital is available through the internet far more than it is in a local physical location since people from all around the world use the internet, it is the world's largest marketplace. There is also a power inherent in the internet and social media that is not available without the internet, which is to instantly self-publish whatever you like in an instant for free, such as this blog.

The Digital Divide is related to mental health since mental health resources, such as videos about how to help with OCD, or what diet is best for mental health, etc etc, are only available to people with internet access.