Mental Health Support for the Creative Arts Industries
According to a 2016 study by Help Musicians UK, musicians and those working in the industry are three times more likely to have suffered from depression than the general population. The same study found 71% of respondents experienced anxiety and panic attacks. Added to this, there is a widespread feeling (82%) that there are gaps in the provision of mental health services for musicians. And this was before lockdown, during which more than two thirds of adults in the UK have reported feeling somewhat or very worried about the effect COVID-19 is having on their life. I have researched the support available for people working in music and the creative arts, with provided here links to useful resources, helplines, low-cost therapy, advice and podcasts.
If you need immediate help, call the Samaritans on their free 24-hour helpline on 116 123 or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (weekdays 9am-6pm).
If you would like to hear more from us, follow @alterclassical on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, or sign up for our mailing list.
Music Support is a charity supporting anyone working in the UK music industry suffering from mental, emotional and behavioural health disorders. You can access a free download of Thrive App, the only NHS approved and clinically effective wellbeing app (use promo code MUSIC20). There is a helpline between the hours of 9am-5pm on weekdays (call 0800 030 6789 or email helpline@musicsupport.org if your query is less urgent). Music Support can signpost you to vetted therapists, treatment facilities and rehab, and also to funders who could potentially finance your treatment. There’s also a range of mental health first aid courses, aimed at raising awareness of mental illness within the industry.
Industry Minds is a charity offering mental health support to people working in the arts, founded in 2018 by actors Scarlett Maltman and Cathy Read. It offers the chance for anyone working in the creative arts to access free and low-cost mental health support through therapy and seminars. Scarlett and Cathy also record a weekly podcast, in which they interview creatives in a relaxed setting, with a goal to have open and healthy conversations surrounding mental health. If you are interested in being featured on the podcast, email scarlett@industryminds.co.uk.
Music Minds Matter is a free helpline run by Help Musicians UK for anyone who works in the music industry. You can call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and it doesn’t have to be a crisis or be about music. The advisors are trained in the challenges of working in the music industry. If you’re struggling, call on 0808 802 8008 or email MMM@helpmusicians.org.uk. If you’re a PRS for Music member you can access free counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy, as well as emotional support. Just quote your CAE number when you call.
The Incorporated Society of Musicians has a whole range of tools available to support musicians’ mental health. Download the free Music Managers Guide to Mental Health, which has chapters on anxiety, depression, work balance and boundaries, alcoholism and drug addiction. ISM members have access to a 24-hour personal advice and support line. You can phone them about any issue you are facing, and you can also access up to 6 individual counselling sessions. ISM has also just started a blog series, in which musicians are open and honest about their mental health in lockdown.
A brand-new collective of music creators, companies and organisations that exists to provide peer-based support, advice, events and mentoring for composers, and provide an impartial safe space for composers to share their experiences. They aspire to create industry guidelines that align with the pressures faced by modern-day media composers and music departments.
A collective of therapists with an in-depth inside understanding of how the music industry works and extensive experience of working with mental health and addiction. You can reach out for help with burnout, depression, boundary management, the pressure to gain and maintain success, self-doubt, weathering negative critique, loneliness and isolation, and many more pertinent issues within the music industry.
British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM) is a charity and clinical partner to the sector, working with educators, unions, businesses and support organisations to improve health in the performing arts. It provides free clinical services in London, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle Gateshead to help with performance anxiety, work-related mental health concerns, practice-related injuries and more. There are free webinars during lockdown and free fact sheets and resources to enhance wellbeing.
Recent music grads Hattie Butterworth and Rebecca Toal co-host a podcast and a blog about the things musicians don’t talk publicly about. This is an open and honest space to talk, share and connect through our various struggles and successes as musicians. Topics covered include mental health, physical injuries, eating disorders, failure, loneliness, money issues and motivation.
A podcast to help musicians safeguard their wellbeing and health, run by Help Musicians in collaboration with production firm Wisebuddah and health and wellbeing service Elevate Music. Musicians can face a number of physical and mental issues in their career, and when untreated these can lead to real problems that can affect playing, confidence and the ability to work. The majority of these problems are preventable, but often musicians don’t know how to prevent the issues, or where to go when things go wrong.
Hannah Fiddy is a creative entrepreneur, developing new audiences for classical music. She has created and promoted numerous concerts outside of traditional spaces, including warehouses, pubs, clubs, museums, hospitals, prisons and even in Primark. Hannah is also an interviewer, writer and guest lecturer, and runs the Avon Chamber Choir in Bristol. In a past life she founded London Flashmob, producing quirky events from wedding proposals to cultural pranks for up to 1,000 people.
Follow Hannah on Twitter @Hannah_Fiddy.