Mental health problems are widespread across the population, there’s no denying that — every day, at least six Australians die from suicide and a further thirty will attempt to take their own life.
A study by the Black Dog Institute also found that suicide is the leading cause of death for people aged 25-44 and the second leading cause of death for those between 15-24.
The statistics are glaring but the torch often overlooks the music industry and the burden it carries from mental health disorders.
The differences are stark. According to Support Act, Australia’s only charity providing practical assistance to musicians with an injury, illness, mental health problem or some other crisis, musicians are five times more likely to suffer from depression and ten times more likely to show symptoms of depression.
Yet, it’s not just musicians that struggle, according to psychologist Dr Chris Stevens, the issue bridges right across the industry.
A recent study by the New Zealand Music Foundation found that over a third of its respondents report having been diagnosed with a mental health disorder. From this margin of people, depression and anxiety were the most mentioned conditions (85% and 57% respectively) which significantly eclipses the incidence rate in the general population for these illnesses (17.4%).
In recent times, we have seen a number of musicians bravely uncover their battles with mental health. Australian singer-songwriter Melody Pool opened up about her battle with depression during an Australian Story episode on the ABC while one-half of Slum Sociable, Miller Upchurch, has also publicly detailed his struggles with depression.
While it’s a relief to see our musicians finding the courage to address their mental health concerns, more needs to be done in providing support networks for this group of creatives.
Organisations such as Lifeline, beyondblue and headspace have been integral in supporting the general population concerned with their mental health but it is only now that the first welfare hotline has been introduced within the music industry.
Support Act have launched the Wellbeing Helpline, Australia’s first 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year hotline for anyone in the music industry who needs to talk to someone about their wellbeing.
With the support of Alberts’ The Tony Foundation and Levi Strauss Australia, the Wellbeing Helpline will see the telephones operated by a host of professional counsellors offering expertise in all areas relating to mental health.
Repost @supportact
Support Act is delighted to announce today the launch of its long-awaited Wellbeing Helpline, made possible with support from Alberts’ The Tony Foundation and Levi Strauss Australia. For the full story and details of the new service, … https://t.co/pZJDRaGPVl pic.twitter.com/xoMDaWNqib— Sash (@VybzAu) June 18, 2018
The service isn’t just specific to direct concerns relating to mental health (e.g. depression, anxiety, addiction, suicidal ideation) but also issues that could be mental health related, such as loneliness, relationship breakdown, illness, workplace conflict or financial worries.
According to the CEO of Support Act, Clive Miller, the Wellbeing Helpline is different to a regular mental health hotline as it hones in on issues specific to musicians.
“The launch of this service is in direct response to requests from our colleagues working in music to help improve overall mental health and wellbeing.
“Based on our consultations and research, we believe that a specialised service specifically tailored to the unique challenges faced by artists and music workers will be of enormous benefit to all people working in our industry.”
Previously, we discussed that musicians are at higher risk of experiencing mental health concerns than the general population. This may come as a surprise to many as they try and account for the disparity.
In a number of cases, it is only when the outcome is fatal that reality hits home. Do we hold mental health concerns of musicians in a high enough regard? When a musician expresses their struggles with mental health are we vigilant enough to act right away rather than letting it blow away in the wind?
The deaths of Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington and Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison paint stark pictures of the music industry’s titanic battle with mental health.
Slow steps are being made towards improving mental health support networks, nevertheless, it’s our core understanding of mental health that needs to improve. We need to be able to comprehend the problem before we can, as individuals, genuinely support it.
The Robert Smith-curated Meltdown Festival recently announced an event to discuss mental health in the music industry to take the place of what was to be Frightened Rabbit’s headline show.
The positive development will see the likes of Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses, Placebo’s Stefan Olsdal, musician and poet Dizraeli, Christine Brown of the music charity Help Musicians UK, and clinical psychologist Dr. Jay Watts lead a discussion about music and mental health.
‘Mental Health and The Music Industry’ event to replace Frightened Rabbit at Meltdown Fest: https://t.co/RFRElgpwCr pic.twitter.com/jQS506hmqC
— INDIE88 (@Indie88Toronto) June 19, 2018
Events such as this, positioned to enhance public understanding of the music industry’s very real mental health crisis are lucrative — improving our comprehension of the issue drives our capability to be a consultant.
The introduction of a 24-hour Wellness Helpline for musicians is a step in the right direction yet we only in the first few strides of our trek to the summit. Those vulnerable now have an avenue to seek advice but what about when they’re not on the phone? There needs to be other outlets for our musicians and it begins with those surrounding them on a daily basis.
People refrain to speak because they don’t understand the issue, so we need greater opportunities for citizens to hone their understanding of mental health. This starts with discussions panels and forums in the ilk of Robert Smith’s Meltdown efforts. It’s up to you, industry professionals, let’s get the ball rolling.
