Due in an effort to facilitate scholarly discourse, create your

1. Due:
In an effort to facilitate scholarly discourse, create your initial
post by
Thursday
, and reply to at least two of your classmates, on two separate
days, by
Saturday
.
Initial Post
Watch the video clip below:
https://www.boston25news.com/news/health/overcoming-
barriers-mental-health-care-stigma-communities-
color/A4H7ANGT2BBT3ATRO7IQ754LIA#/
Video Transcript
Overcoming barriers to mental health care and stigma in
communities of color
On-camera announcer: Boston 25 News is launching a new
edition called Boston 25 Gets Real. In this series, we’re digging
into issues impacting members of our community. And
introducing you to the people who are working to create change.
Boston 25 Gets Real About Mental Health. This reporter,
Crystal Haynes, reveals the impact of the mental health crisis on
communities of color.

2. Crystal Haynes: From socioeconomic barriers to racial bias in
healthcare and wellness fields, to stigma. Access to mental
health in communities of color is a critical issue. We started
working on this before the pandemic and we began with the
issue of stigma. And the story behind the Roxbury non-profit,
DeeDee’s Cry.
Toy Burton (on camera): I went into the bathroom and just took
everything under the bathroom sink, Comet, bleach, whatever;
just mixed it all and drank it. And then, after a while I was like,
“Wait a minute.” I’m like, “I don’t, I don’t wanna do this.”
Crystal Haynes (VoiceOver): Where Toy Burton failed, her 23-
year-old sister, DeeDee, unfortunately succeeded years prior.
DeeDee’s suicide changed Toy’s life forever.
On-screen caption: TOY BURTON Founder of DeeDee’s Cry
Toy Burton: I was in total denial. ‘Cause I was like, “No, like,
she was better, she was happy; she had just moved; you know,
she had a two-year-old son.” So it hit me pretty hard because
she was my big sister. And she was the person who made ME
feel special, you know, made ME feel spot. And I wanted to be
like her.
Crystal Haynes (VO): Toy says DeeDee’s death sent her into a
depression. Nineteen at the time, she says she started drinking
and then moved to drugs. She got clean in 1986, but says it
didn’t make the pain she felt go away.
Toy Burton: And so they fixed my physical but they didn’t do
nothing for my mental. So I went home with the same thoughts
and the same me and the same hurt. And eventually, like, within
the years, I just started to cut myself.

3. Dr. Christine Crawford, Psychiatrist (on camera): Because
there’s so much stigma around mental illness, there’s a
tremendous amount of barriers for folks to access mental health
services. And insurance not viewing mental health conditions on
par with medical conditions.
Crystal Haynes (VO): According to Mental Health America, in
2018, more than 58 percent of African American adults with
serious mental illness did not receive treatment. Nearly 90% of
Black and African-American people over the age of 12 with
substance abuse disorder did not receive treatment.
Dr. Christine Crawford is a psychiatrist at Boston Medical
Center. She tells me mistrust of doctors and long-held
stereotypes in the Black community are serious barriers to
treatment.
Dr. Crawford: Seeking out mental health treatment is something
for the worried well. That is a luxury to be able to meet with
someone once a week to talk about the emotional struggles that
you’re going through.
Crystal Haynes (VO): Dr. Crawford says lack of representation
in the mental health field also plays a role. Only 4% of
therapists in the U.S. are African-American.
Dr. Crawford: When I told my family that I was going to pursue
a career in psychiatry, my mother said to me, “Oh, well, I
thought you were going to be a real doctor.” And so I made it
my mission to go out into the community and de-stigmatize
mental illness, to de-stigmatize my profession as a whole, so we
can get more people into care.
Crystal Haynes (VO): Toy has dedicated her life to fighting
against the stigma in her community.

4. Toy Burton: I was looking for resources. Resources about
mental health and suicide prevention, and what I noticed is that
they really didn’t do things in the Roxbury-Dorchester-
Mattapan area to me, communities of color.
Crystal Haynes (VO): Her non-profit, DeeDee’s Cry creates
spaces where people can share their stories.
Toy Burton: And someone had asked the question, like, “How
did you get 150 people to register for a mental health event?”
And I was like, “Because this is where the pain is at.”
Crystal Haynes (on camera): The mind-body connection is also
crucial to this conversation. Nearly half of all African-
Americans have high blood pressure and high cholesterol and
obesity. But few registered dieticians are people of color. Yet
another barrier to access. I’m Crystal Haynes, Boston 25 News.
Briefly describe the availability of and access to mental health
care in your community and geographical area.
How has the Covid-19 Pandemic revealed equity issues in
certain communities?
What do you see as the greatest barrier to access and how do
you feel this would be best addressed? Be specific in regard to
addressing this issue in your “community" or geographical area.
Do you believe that private or public entities are best suited to
address this? How do other countries address these issues?
Replies

5. Reply to at least two of your classmates. Your reply posts
should build on the original post and demonstrate substantive
reflection.