PSA: THE BIGGER PICTURE
Music Support has amassed a plethora of industry supporters including: Brilliant’s Adam ‘Bullet’ Bettley; Dream Wife’s Bella Podpadec; Distiller’s Andy Granelli; FOH Engineer, Mike Woodhouse with Lighting Designer & Hot Milk Frontman, James Shaw; Production Manager, Jim Digby; Eagles of DM’s Jorma Vic.
TALKING SAVES LIVES Ill mental health, addiction and death by suicide are issues which plague the music industry. With a number of initiatives including Music Support’s Safe Hubs, and a peer-to-peer helpline which will expand into the northern UK next year, more lives than ever are being saved.
People working in the music industry are three times more likely to experience mental health problems than the general population. With mental health affecting approximately 36,000 people per year in the industry, everyone from musicians and road crew, to artist managers and multiple occupations in between is at risk. Road crew worldwide experience mental health difficulties. Entertainment Assist, an Australian-based support hub, documented in 2017: “In the past 12 months, Australian entertainment industry workers experienced suicide ideation five to seven times more than the general population, and two to three times more over a lifetime. In the past 12 months, road crew members experienced suicide ideation almost nine times more than the general population. Rates of suicide ideation, planning and attempts are extremely high and indicate a need for early intervention programmes tailored to the industry.” Each year, suicide is listed in the top 20 causes of loss of life globally for people of all ages and is responsible for more than 800,000 deaths – that’s a lost life every 40 seconds. World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) takes place on 10 September annually, closely followed by World Mental Health Awareness Day on 10 October. Key dates in the calendar, the days help to open conversations and break the stigma surrounding mental health. According to WSPD research: “For each suicide, approximately 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected. This amounts to 108 million people per year who are profoundly impacted by suicidal behaviour.” Touring Director and Production Manager, Jim Digby has worked with Linkin Park for more than 16 years. The loss of the band’s frontman, Chester
Bennington, in July 2017, had a devastating impact. “The very personal nature of mental health and emotional wellbeing makes it hard to observe when one is suffering – sometimes we don’t even recognise it in ourselves,” he said. “As we continue to enable and empower these types of discussions, it will be critical to have resources that are familiar, not only within the field of mental health, but with the trappings of working inside our glorious endeavours. “Music Support is such an entity, encouraging healthy dialogue, destigmatising perceptions of mental health and providing resources to both proactively and passively engage. We’re all human, and humans need each other to be at our strongest. This mission is crucial as we find new ways to look after one another,” he commented. Music Support helps individuals in any area of the UK music industry suffering from mental, emotional and behavioural health challenges (including, but not limited to, alcohol and drug addiction). The helpline has become a vital component in helping to save lives. All of Music Support’s helpline volunteers have personal experience of either working in the music industry or of being close to someone affected by addiction and/or mental health issues. All volunteers have attended rigorous courses, including Mental Health First Aid training. Currently, a volunteer staff of 15 help music professionals in need, and in crisis. For World Suicide Prevention Day this year, Music Support ramped up recruitment for its essential helpline, resulting in a potential further 16 volunteers joining the team – once they’ve passed the necessary assessments. For 2020, the charity is looking to expand its efforts into the north of the UK. By diversifying its volunteer pool Music Support will be able 100
