This week is Mental Health Awareness Week (10 – 17 May), and battles with mental health issues have been prevalent in the music industry for decades. Only in recent years are open discussions being had about what this looks like and ways to deal with it. One organisation that has been leading the way in providing tools and spaces for these conversations are UK-based charity Mind.

Mind states that musicians are three times more likely to suffer from depression than the general public, amongst other mental health problems. What they have done to combat this is collect stories from real people in the electronic music industry, who shed light on what they’re dealing with as well as tips to help others find healthy ways to get through problems, including the pandemic. In partnership with Ninja Tune, Paradigm, Percolate and POLY, they have also created support guides for organisations, artist managers, employees, and freelancers.

The head of Workplace Wellbeing at Mind, Emma Mamo, explains: “We know that working in the music industry can be very rewarding and offers many opportunities. However, it comes with a unique set of challenges, including irregular hours, financial insecurity and high pressure – all of which may have an effect on people’s mental health and wellbeing. Coronavirus restrictions, Brexit, and fluctuating income have only made existing problems in the industry worse, so it’s important that people across the industry can access vital support if and when needed.” And while they are currently focusing on electronic music, a lot of these problems are universal; the resources available are impactful for people who work in all parts of the music world.

You can find this information and more useful tools at their website here.