It’s probably been on the back of your mind for a long time, but a recent study has offered further evidence of how overwhelming an issue mental illness is among musicians and music industry professionals.
The report titled Can Music Make You Sick? is the result of a survey conducted by the University of Westminster and it’s music business think-tank MusicTank. The large majority of the 2,211 people surveyed identified as musicians, and the rest represented roadies, production workers and the various roles associated with music management.
Behind every artist there’s a life story, and behind a huge amount of musicians there is a sombre one. Depression and other mental illnesses are ugly monsters in the industry, and we should do everything we can to assist sufferers.
Of the respondents to the survey, 71% reported they have experienced anxiety and panic attacks. Another 65% reported they had suffered from depression. By comparison, 19% of the general UK population over the age of 16 suffers from anxiety, depression, or both.
The study also cites the evidence proving that “working in the music industry might indeed be making musicians sick.” Poor working conditions, the difficulty of sustaining an income, exhaustion, crazy hours and the unclarity of their futures were all listed as reasons for this huge spike in mental illness among our industry.
Shining a light on mental illness is an important part of battling it. To read more about the battles musicians and other industry professionals face, see our article outlining Australia’s place within this towering and unfortunate issue.
Via Pitchfork.
