Mental Health and Music

Music has become quite ubiquitous in contemporary society and is enjoyed by people of all races, ages, and ethnic backgrounds. There is a plethora of research that has shown the positive effect music has on physiological processes, and how it improves physical and mental wellbeing. People diagnosed with mental disorders have shown improvement in their mental health after music interventions or therapy. Other benefits of music can be enhanced motor skills, heart rate, brain stimulation, and an improvement of the immune system as well. It has even been reported to reduce anxiety and agitation in older adults suffering from senile dementia (Rebecchini, 2021). That being said, many musicians suffer from mental illnesses and famous musicians, such as Audioslave’s Chris Cornell and The Door’s Jim Morrison, have died by suicide. The high prevalence and use of drugs in the music industry has even been known to cause mental illnesses. Syd Barret, the singer and guitarist for Pink Floyd, developed schizophrenia most likely due to drug use and the stress of his career. This writeup will examine music therapy, the link between music and mental health, as well as mental illness in the music industry.      Music therapy is a treatment modality that has been used to facilitate symptom management and promote wellness in people with mental health issues. Music therapy interventions can be active or passive and are generally used by credentialed music therapists to improve mood, increase compliance, and strengthen emotional expression (Grooding, 2018). Music has also been used as a non-invasive and non-pharmacological alternative to address multiple psychological symptoms. Relaxation training combined with music therapy has been shown to be effective to reduce anger and sleep problems in psychiatric patients (Icel and Basogul, 2021). Music therapy has even been proven to improve the mental wellbeing of women post childbirth. Postpartum anxiety, pain, and early postpartum depression decrease if music therapy is used during labor (Simavli et al, 2014). Unmet psychosocial needs can also be addressed using music therapy. People with dementia can reconnect with past memories using music, which reduces agitation-associated negative behaviors (Coxey et al, 2021). Group music interventions with rhythmic exercise programs have been shown to ameliorate cognitive function, depression, anxiety, and life satisfaction among older people (Kim and Kang, 2021).      Though music has been proven to heal people with mental illnesses, musicians often develop mental issues such as substance use disorders. A study done to assess mental health issues among touring musicians has found that they have higher levels of suicidality, risk for clinical depression, anxiety, stress as well as a greater chance of burnout (Newman et al, 2022). Musicians are three to four times more likely to consume and misuse drugs than other professionals (Wilkes, 2020). This could be because of the frequent consumption of energy drinks, which have been associated to problem (binge) drinking and prescription drug misuse (Miller and Quigley, 2011). Energy drinks, alcohol, and drugs could be used by musicians as a coping mechanism to alleviate some of the pressure and stress of performing and creating music. Many music artists, like The Beatles, have used drugs to create a lot of their songs. Heavy drinking and drug use for prolonged periods of time can induce psychosis, depression, and even suicide (Luck, 2021). Many musicians use drugs or alcohol to self-medicate for existing mental illnesses or ones that arise due to the pressures of the job. This often leads to the exacerbation of these mental illnesses.      While the effect of the music industry has been explored, poor mental health of musicians can also have an impact on the music industry. A common misconception people have about substances is that they promote productivity and creativity (Douze, 2019). However, the incessant use and misuse of substances can adversely affect a musician’s productivity and creativity. The increased anxiety and inability to concentrate or keep composure could affect a musician’s public image and also live performances. As musicians rely on public adoration and acceptance, as well as performing live at concerts or various other events, not being able to do so would have adverse financial consequences for them as well. These could, in turn, result in added mental illnesses or the worsening of existing ones. The music industry has also been heavily criticized for romanticizing mental health and drug use. An example of this is Lil Peep, a rapper who romanticized depression and rapped about consuming five Xanax pills a day and then died of a Xanax overdose (Manriquez, 2019). This puts a bad reputation on the music industry as impressionable children then mirror the actions of their favorite artists. That being said, artists have also used their fame for spreading awareness about the importance of taking care of a person’s mental health. A rapper named Logic put the suicide prevention hotline as the title for one of his songs (“1-800-273-8255”). This song was performed at the 2018 Grammys, which tripled the number of calls that were made to the hotline (Manriquez, 2019).      In conclusion, music therapy and music as a hobby has a myriad of psychological benefits but being a professional musician in the music industry can increase the likelihood of suffering from mental illnesses due to the stress and pressure of the job. Mental health was also seen to have an impact on the music industry, as musicians are less likely to be able to perform live or create new music when they are suffering from any form of mental distress. Another impact mental health has on the industry is the bad reputation contemporary artists have for romanticizing mental illness and substance misuse.  

References:

Coxey, J.P., Kameg, B., Novosel, L.M., and Lee, H., 2021. Music and Nursing Home Residents with Dementia: A Literature Review. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(7), pp. 808-814.

Douze, K., 2019. A Psychologist’s Take on Mental Health for Musicians. Spotify for Artists, available online at: https://artists.spotify.com/blog/a-psychologists-take-on-mental-health-for-musicians.

Grooding, L.F., 2018. Chapter 4 – Music Therapy in Mental Health Treatment. Music Therapy: Research and Evidence-Based Practice, pp. 47-61.

Icel, S. and Basogul, C., 2021. Effects of progressive muscle relation training with music therapy on sleep and anger of patients at Community Mental Health Center. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, 43, 101338.

Kim, H.S. and Kang, J.S., 2021. Effect of a group music intervention on cognitive function and mental health outcomes among nursing home residents: A randomized controlled pilot study. Geriatric Nursing, 42(3), pp. 650-656.

Luck, H., 2021. The Relationship between addiction and the music Industry. Available online at: https://nchschant.com/19522/investigative/the-relationship-between-addiction-and-the-music-industry/.

Manriquez, M., 2019. The Music Industry Has a Mental Health Problem. Backstage Pass, 2(1), article 19, available at: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1045&context=backstage-pass.

Miller, K.E. and Quigley, B.M., 2011. Energy Drink Use and Substance Use Among Musicians. Journal of caffeine Research, 1(1), published online at: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jcr.2011.0003.

Newman, C. et al, 2022. Mental health issues among international touring professionals in the music industry. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 145, pp. 243-249.

Rebecchini, L., 2021. Music, mental health, and immunity. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health, 18, 100374.

Simavli, S. et al, 2014. Effect of music therapy during vaginal delivery on postpartum pain relief and mental health. Journal of Affective Disorders, 156, pp. 194-199.

Wilkes, E., 2020. The drug dilemma: why musicians are still falling victim to substance abuse. The Boar, posted online at: https://theboar.org/2020/04/drug-abuse-in-the-music-industry/.