Mental health conditions do not discriminate when it comes to race, sex, age or background. But there are disparities based on race and ethnicity when it comes to stress and other factors that co-exist with mental health, and with the process of getting appropriate treatment.“She was just trying to make her pain go away, you know what she did, she did it for her. That’s the way I learned to cope with it,” said Toy Burton, who was just a teenager when her 23-year-old sister Danita “DeeDee” Morris died by suicide.“At first I felt anger because I was mad that she did that. And then, of course, I felt guilt because, like, is there something that I could have done?” she said. Following her sister’s death, Burton’s use of alcohol and drugs increased to numb the pain from childhood traumas. Her own mental health was suffering and years later she attempted suicide.“I just wanted the pain to stop. It was just so bad, the internal pain. And to me, I was like, I was just done with it,” Burton said. Burton spent years working on her mental health and recovery. In 2017 while trying to help a friend find support resources, she realized most are not geared toward people of color.“Of course, suicide knows no race, mental health knows no race. But when you’re looking for a place to belong, you want somebody to have something that you can connect with,” she said. So Burton created DeeDee’s Cry, an organization raising awareness and offering peer support and resources.“And I’m going to make sure that these resources are accessible to people who live in communities where the people look like me,” she said. Dr. David Henderson, chief of psychiatry at Boston Medical Center, says culture and race impact stress, and therefore overall health.“Every culture, every population really determines how they interact with the health system,” he said. “If you’re you are a person of color, your stress level is higher than a nonperson of color because of all of the race and racial factors in this country, then you’re more likely to have mental health problems.”Race can further impact access to help. Implicit bias in the health system has been documented throughout history. Henderson says mental health conditions in people of color are often misdiagnosed, and when you add in stigma, treatment is often delayed.“By the time they arrive for care, they’re really sick,” he said. “You have to let people know that you’re hurting or that you’re anxious or that you’re fearful,” Burton said. DeeDee’s Cry works to eliminate stigma by making outreach about the entire community. They host events like an Easter Egg hunt that welcomes everyone while offering pamphlets and resources on mental wellbeing. “Because to me, community is a support system. Your family is a support system,” Burton said. “Do not keep it bottled up inside until you talk about it. And then you could take the next step about getting receiving help.”Henderson said it’s OK for people of different races to ask for someone who looks like them when they make contact with the health system so they can build trust.Mental Health Resources211: Call 211 in Massachusetts to get connected with resourcesCall2Talk: The nationwide hotline for suicide prevention and mental health can be reached at 800-273-8255. You can also text C2T to 741741 if you are in fear of self-harmMAMH:Massachusetts Association for Mental HealthNAMI: The National Alliance for Mental IllnessDee Dee’s Cry: A non-profit organization which links communities of color to appropriate resourcesIvy Watts: Mental health empowerment speakerPeer Support Groups: A list of peer support groups available in MassachusettsFamily Support Groups: A list of family support groups available in Massachusetts