There have been some high-quality reviews of artists’ mental health by Equity and others which point in the same direction: higher levels of mental health problems among artists than in the general population. The culprits are clear too: low pay, precarity, anti-social hours, work overload and under-load…
And limited support, particularly for some art forms.
This article, first published in Arts Professional, makes some suggestions for changing including:
- inclusion of mental health needs in national arts policies (something that we believe is happening in Northern Ireland)
- arts organisations should draw up mental health policies and training for all staff
- replication of good practice from other countries, such as the national assistance programme in Ireland and the national centre in Melbourne.
Find out what the Baring Foundation has done so far in this area, and what some arts organisations are already doing.