Musicians and mental health

My name is Dr Adam Ficek, I am a UKCP psychotherapist and a member of the BPS. 

As a musician and band member I have toured the world, played every major festival and released three top ten albums. As a solo performer I have released five albums with various record labels. I currently split my time between playing in bands (including as the drummer for Babyshambles), DJ'ing and my clinical work. This clinical work involves therapy, consultation and group facilitation alongside educational workshops. Most of my time is spent working with 'Tonic Music' a charity supporting the mental health of musicians and those in the music industry. I have been working with Tonic Music for four years alongside running my own private practice and consultancy called 'Music & Mind'. 

Throughout my past fifteen years working within the musicians and mental health field I have seen a growing awareness surrounding the difficulties that musicians and music industry professionals face. Factors such as the financially precarious nature of work, the difficulties of media exposure and the impact of long arduous touring schedules all contribute to the pressures of working in the field. My own doctoral thesis was the first worldwide to focus on the mental health of popular musicians from an experiential and qualitative context. From my academic, clinical and personal experience I have seen first-hand how the music industry journey can cause a host of psychological problems. Difficulties ranging from chronic anxiety, depression and substance abuse are rife within an industry that can be both chaotic and unregulated. The alternative side of the music industry is that it can be a glorious world of achievement, riches and fulfilment if we hit gold. This paradoxical and volatile dichotomy is the main contributor to the mental health distress I am so often faced with day to day in my clinical practice. In essence, the music industry doesn't not have a HR department to pick up the pieces of a failed career, burn out or when conflict arises within band environments. We all know the tragic stories of the recent casualties within the professional music world, but the big dilemma is…we acknowledge the need for a support structure but who picks up the bill? 

In previous years I would often get invited to the big record labels to consult and offer advice. This seemingly fell on deaf ears as the support infrastructure still lacks any significant impact. Mental Health First Aid training and in house counsellors at times can seem like a tokenistic gesture when profit is soaring but wellbeing in steady decline. What the industry really needs is an external governing body to oversee the wellbeing of all vulnerable artists entering the field alongside those who are yet to be embroiled within the commercial environment. Whether this will ever come to fruition in such a fast-paced economy is yet to be seen. Effectively when we enter the music industry, we are a commodity, this is not necessarily a negative thing as we need to commoditise our art to make a living. The main problems develop when this commoditisation is no longer profitable, and the artist is discharged from service (dropped). At this point, identity can collapse, money runs out and the 'phone really stops ringing'. It's a complex process to navigate! Without knowledgeable support, yet (at the risk of being a contrarian) we also do choose to have this life, this dream. A tough conundrum!

One charity at the forefront of this dilemma and offering a support structure is Tonic Music who run weekly peer support groups, workshops and offer personal therapy to many musicians and industry personnel. These resources are a lifeline to many artists who are on the brink of psychological collapse or mental health crisis. Since the inception of the peer groups, Tonic have substantially grown and now offer more peer support groups than any other charity in the UK alongside developing ongoing clinical research. As a psychotherapist and psychologist (in training) this is a positive force within an industry that can elevate but also decimate. Like most things in life, the music industry is a difficult problem to solve, on one hand we do choose this path yet perhaps there is also a need for more support in a volatile world. 

And…where would we be without our favourite musicians?

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