suicide crisis line in your area<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n \n \n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\u201cI like to encourage people to get help when needed,\u201d Fong says. \u201cOften we try different things our own way but if it\u2019s time to go to a professional, somebody who has the experience with a lot of patience to guide you, by all means, do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stress, anxiety, and depression were reported as the most commonly experienced negative emotions by independent music makers in relation to their music. What\u2019s the biggest trigger, you might ask? Financial instability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is still that notion that the show must go on,\u201d says Gleason. \u201cYou don\u2019t get to call a mental health day or a sick day. Many people have put their own mental health on the back burner for the good of the show or for their band. Then you get into the late nights and inconsistent sleep and the inconsistent financial side of things where you have to take work because you don\u2019t know when the next job is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before the disruption of the touring industry due to COVID-19, most musicians were relying on tours and live performances as a primary means of financial support and with many musicians out of work, Backline witnessed their case management submissions quadruple. Over the course of this pandemic, we have seen more and more discourse surrounding the mental state of musicians and how the industry plays a giant role.
Gleason says, \u201cWe\u2019re understanding that so much of it is systemic. That goes beyond just the artists, which, the mental health challenges for the artists themselves can be a little bit easier to understand. But really, we serve the music industry in its entirety. So crew people, agents, and managers \u2026 some of the reasons we\u2019re seeing more and more mental health struggles is because there is no governing body. There is no HR in most of these organizations.\u201d
With the pandemic came an illumination of many systemic issues, especially those that plague Black, Indegenous, and People of Color in America. This past April, Backline announced a partnership with Baltimore\u2019s Black Mental Health Alliance to educate, inform, and provide access to customized mental health resources for BIPOC. The critical piece of this partnership being to train the more than 150 mental health providers that make up Backline\u2019s clinical referral network.
\u201cIt was really clear to us,\u201d says Gleason. \u201cEven before last summer, but certainly after, there was a huge call to action in our community like, \u2018Hey, my experience is not the same as yours.\u2019 What\u2019s going on right now is really taxing, exhausting. There is a need for clinicians that understand that and can speak to that.\u201d
These training sessions will cover topics such as the history of systemic racism and racial microaggressions within the music industry, barriers to accessing mental health care within BIPOC communities, and how these challenges can present in the form of mental strife, psychological fatigue and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, Backline and Black Mental Health Alliance will offer non-clinical training to other organizations, corporations, and individuals serving the music population.
\u201cWe\u2019re not just pairing people at whim, but asking, \u2018Do you want a Black therapist? Do you want any therapist who\u2019s been trained in cultural sensitivity, or in some of the racism that exists within the music industry?\u2019\u201d says Gleason. \u201cBeing able to actually put people with therapists who truly understand and have studied what\u2019s going on is taking it one step further to make sure that when somebody walks in to get started on their mental health journey, they feel welcome there. They feel understood there.\u201d
Spreading awareness and helping people feel understood on their mental health journey is a huge part of the work and Fong is doing exactly that with her podcast.
\u201cIt\u2019s just so important to hear how people got through their depression, their anxiety, and to hear what they did, what worked and what didn\u2019t work,\u201d she says. \u201cOne thing we really focus on with the podcast is solutions. It\u2019s one thing to talk about your story, but it\u2019s another thing to provide a list of solutions that people can try. Mental health is not one size fits all.\u201d