MONTREAL — Mental health problems are two to three times more prevalent within the music industry than among the general population, warns a specialized firm which has just launched a vast pan-Canadian survey on the subject.
The initiative was announced at the recent SOCAN gala in Toronto by The Unison Fund, SOCAN and music industry specialist consultancy Revelios.
“Despite the significant cultural and economic impact of the Canadian music industry, the mental health problems that affect its members are often ignored,” said Revelios president Catherine Harrison.
“Most of the existing data comes from the US, UK, Europe and Australia, and rather than making assumptions from other countries’ data and applying it to experience Canadian, we want to hear from our own members.”
Understanding the challenges specific to the Canadian context therefore leaves something to be desired, she added.
The project, it was explained, “aims to create a healthier and more supportive environment for all members of the industry.” We want to raise awareness among artists and other professionals in the Canadian music scene about mental health problems, but also collect exhaustive data on the demographic reality and the experience lived today in the industry.
“We hope that the survey will spark a cultural change and a change in mentalities to destigmatize mental health problems,” Ms. Harrison said.
Ultimately, it is hoped that the study will improve mental health literacy and promote healthy behaviors in the industry; to strengthen the reputation and social responsibility of participating organizations; to drive cultural change to destigmatize mental health issues; and generate economic benefits linked to a resilient and thriving workforce.
“There is a facade of ‘glamor’ and fun to the music industry,” Ms. Harrison said. We think everything is easy, galas, red carpets, concerts… But it’s difficult and precarious work. Most musicians and technicians work completely backwards from the rest of society. And if we don’t understand their mental health issues, we can’t offer them the right resources.”
Artists, she recalled, “feel everything deeply, the good and the bad,” and one wonders if this can have an impact on their mental health.
But on the other hand, these are also people who work ten hours a day, usually every Saturday evening, who often miss big family events like weddings or funerals, and whose diet will not necessarily be optimal.
“You wonder if it’s all these physical, mental and social factors that end up having an impact,” Harrison said.
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