James Hickie, Kerrang!, Fall 2017
A new helpline, run by the Help Musicians UK charity, will aid musicians in identifying and tackling their mental health problems.
A new free 24/7 mental health service will offer support those working in the music industry. The helpline has been set up by Help Musicians UK, the country's leading independent music charity, as part of their Music Minds Matter campaign, which launched after Chester Bennington took his own life in July.
In the months following the Linkin Park frontman's death, the charity experienced a 22 percent increase in requests for help from musicians. Their report, Can Music Make You Sick?, revealed musicians are three times more likely to experience depression compared to the general public, resulting in their pledge to create this support line, which also offers individually-tailored assistance to managers, those working for record labels, and tour crew. As well as listening and emotional support, it will provide advice on getting a diagnosis, directions to additional services, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).
This is incredibly important news.
Research tells us that one in four of us will suffer from mental health problems at some stage in our lives, and therefore no industry is immune. The music industry, however, is subject to its own unique pressures, and therefore specialist support is essential. Musicians and tour crew, for example, can experience a sense of isolation and dislocation when on tour for long periods of time, with exposure to drink and drugs likely to exasperate existing issues.
There's certainly no shortage of bands discussing their mental health problems, on record and in interviews. This year, albums by K! coverstars Nothing But Thieves (Broken Machine) and Enter Shikari (The Spark) articulated these issues into the bands' respective audiences.
Joel Birch, vocalist for this year's K! Tour headliners The Amnity Affliction, discussed his long-time struggle with K! earlier this year, as part of our partnership with the charity YoungMinds.
"In the '90s, when I was a teenager, mental health wasn't a prevalent topic in society," he revealed. "As the years have gone on, mental illness has become more prominent in the public eye, and it's allowing us to tackle the problem head-on."
Continued discussion and expression within the music industry will help erode any residual discomfort around discussing mental health, and make those suffering feel comfortable enough to speak out sooner. And when they're ready to talk, they now know just who to call.
If you're a musician, or work in the music industry, and need to speak to someone, you can call 0808 802 8008 free of charge, 24-hours a day, seven days a week - including over the Christmas period. For more information on Music Minds Matter, please visit Musicmindsmatter.org.uk
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