4 vital mental health guides for musicians from Mind
During Mental Health Awareness Week, UK charity Mind have published four guides to help those in the electronic music industry and beyond take care of their mental health.
Pressures like overworking, unstable income, isolation, and drug and alcohol abuse are known to be damaging to the mental health of artists and those working in the wider music industry. Musicians are up to three times more likely to suffer from depression than the general population.
To coincide with the current Mental Health Awareness Week, UK charity Mind has released four new guides to help musicians and producers manage their mental health, with particular focus on those in the electronic music sector.
Mind have partnered with Ninja Tune, POLY, Paradigm and Percolate to provide resources to help give those working in the electronic music industry the support they need to improve their mental health at work. The four guides are for organisations, artist managers, employees and freelancers.
As noted in the guidance:
“Industry professionals are often passionate about what they do. This means they may be vulnerable to exploitation and can feel guilty if their “dream job” affects their mental health.
There needs to be a greater focus on raising awareness of mental health across the electronic music industry. There’s a lot of stigma around mental health, for example people may feel ashamed of their difficulties or worry about how others will judge them.”
© Mind. This information is published in full at mind.org.uk
While the focus in the guides is on electronic music, the resources inside are applicable to the general music industry, aimed at encouraging people to support each other whilst also taking care of their own mental health. There’s also a spotlight on the impact of coronavirus and racial inequalities on the mental health of those in the electronic music sector. In the UK 9 in 10 professional musicians have reported that their mental health suffered over the course of the pandemic.
If you’ve been feeling under pressure, read our ten self-care tips for musicians struggling with mental health challenges. For a reminder of the joy to be found in music, check out RouteNote staff’s top choices of the music that has helped us get through tough times.
Find Mind’s mental health in electronic music resources here.