Although the stereotype of the “troubled artist” is almost as old as the art itself, mental health problems in the music industry are reaching epidemic proportions buy real active sound cloud plays.
Five tips to take care of mental health in the music industry
An especially widespread (and until recently largely ignored) mental disorder that artists are more likely to develop is bipolar disorder. For example, a groundbreaking Swedish study (2012) found that when they analyzed 700,000 Swedish adolescents, creative 16-year-olds were four times more likely to develop bipolar disorder than their less artistic counterparts. Bipolar disorder is characterized by periods of depression and sadness combined with periods of manic euphoria, during which the individual may experience paranoia, increased self-confidence, risky behavior, racing thoughts, or behaving in an “out of character” manner. “. When an individual emerges from a depressive phase, the brain is overwhelmed with activity, and this can lead to feelings of inspiration or extremely high creativity. However, bipolar disorder can seriously affect an individual’s life, well-being, and health. While the highs of the manic episode can give rise to creative ideas, the lows of the depressive episode are exceptionally channeling, often leading to substance abuse dependence or suicidal thoughts.
However, despite the need for mental health care in the music industry, it remains scarce. In 2018, a Music Industry Research Association survey found that 50% of musicians struggle with depression, twice as many as the general adult population. Another recent survey (2019) found that 73% of artists reported mental health difficulties, but only 19% believed the music industry provided healthy and supportive working conditions.
In light of this growing concern, the experts at Paracelsus Recovery have provided five tips for artists struggling with emotional difficulties.
1. Find something to focus on outside of music.
Artists are passionate people, and finding something they love is crucial for anyone whose main hobby has become their profession. The lines can become so blurred that every time you pick up your chosen instrument to relax, work-related pressures can increase. Finding another form of art, such as painting, film, or creative writing, might help you reconnect with that creative inner child who originally found solace in artistic expression.
2. Recognize your limitations.
Although we all face the pressure to impress, there is no profession in which it is as profound as the music industry. When on tour, artists spend months and months with the constant pressure to connect with their audience at each concert as if it were a single night. Each night, the artist must exert extreme levels of energy, musical ability, physical stamina and emotional vulnerability. This pressure can wreak havoc on self-esteem and potentially lead to burnout or depression. It can lead the individual to exceed their capabilities and, consequently, to depend on substances to survive each performance. In the face of this increasing burden, it is vital to be compassionate towards human capabilities, rather than forcing oneself to go beyond them. An artist is, above all, a flawed, vulnerable and limited human being who can only give a little.
3. Practice gratitude (but not to the point of feeling guilty).
Remembering the days when your current reality was nothing more than a dream can help you reconnect with who you were before fame and success pushed you into an alternate reality. Doing so allows you to feel pride and gratitude for all you have accomplished, rather than fear and panic about what may come. However, it is also worth remembering that gratitude is useless if it is used as punishment for what we feel. Mental illness thrives in isolation, and sometimes the feeling of failure of being unhappy when you have achieved “everything you wanted” perpetuates solitary suffering. Mental illness can affect anyone at any stage of their life. This is especially true when your lifestyle is compounded by instability and loneliness, while your creative pursuits force you to wear your heart on your sleeve.
4. Reach out to family and friends.
Artists provide the soundtrack to each other’s social lives, but sometimes it’s underestimated how lonely it can be to live on the road and perform. If an artist becomes world famous, the problem worsens, since millions of people say they love him without knowing him. If you find yourself struggling with poor mental health, burnout, or negative thought patterns, it is vital to find and reach out to people you trust. In doing so, we invoke compassion into our own experience and implicitly remind ourselves that we are worthy of love and support, and human, just like everyone else. This is especially important if you find yourself relying on substances to feel connected to others and to fill a genuine need for emotional connection.
5. Don’t depend on substances to be creative.
Finally, one of the most important things to remember is that, despite prevailing stereotypes, substances such as drugs or alcohol do not induce or help creativity. Cultural phenomena such as the 27 club or heroin chic can be dangerous because they romanticize a painful, unbalanced and short life. It’s crucial to remember that you are the creative genius, and that substance only provides you with a fleeting burst of confidence and conviction in your own abilities. If you are struggling with substance abuse, it is vital to be honest with yourself in a compassionate way. By seeking help, you may find that you improve not only your quality of life, but your music as well.