Always seek help from a qualified clinician if you have a health concern.
Unfortunately, 70-80% of musicians and composers will have a physical health or mental health problem relating to their career. Some of the reasons for this include:
- Public exposure
- Performance anxiety
- Competition
- Long hours – late nights
- Extreme concentration levels
- Travelling
- Insufficient equipment, practice or performance spaces
- Financial uncertainty and lack of reward/acknowledgement for work
- Conflict work/family life
- Lack of social support
There is also the unhelpful narrative of the “suffering artist” which suggests that health problems are a necessary part of the profession when the reality is that health problems get in the way of a successful career.
Some of the causes of health problems are related to the individual – we all have different characteristics and health behaviours and understanding strengths and weaknesses can help us look after our health more effectively.
Some are related to the working environment and adjustments may help.
Many musicians and composers put off seeing a health professional for reasons of stigma and this can cause a problem to get worse. Try and prioritise getting to a health professional as soon as you can.
If you are suffering from:
- Pain, strain
- Limited movement
- Voice problems for more than 3 weeks after an infection
- Fatigue
- Hearing problems
- Anxiety
- Feeling down or depressed
These are indications that a health intervention might help. Your GP can assess, diagnose and make referrals as well as suggesting medication. Additional specialist occupational advice for music professionals can be provided through BAPAM .
Planning for a successful clinical consultation can be useful. It can be hard to find the right words and a GP will have limited time and preparation is important to make the most of the appointment:
- Write down what you want to say in advance and take your notes with you
- Give yourself enough time to get to your appointment, so that you don’t feel rushed or stressed
- If you’re feeling nervous, let your doctor know
- Think about taking someone with you to support you, like a close friend or family member
- If you’ve talked to your family or friends about how you feel, practise what you might say to your GP with them
- Highlight or print out any information you’ve found that helps you explain how you’re feeling. Explain how it is affecting your work
- Think about the outcome that you want from your appointment (such as access to therapy)
- If you have a few things to talk about, you can ask for a longer appointment (you’ll need to do this when you’re booking it in)
If you feel you are at crisis point, then this list from MIND is helpful in deciding the service to go to:
Accident and Emergency (A&E– emergency support)
You need immediate medical help – especially if you think you might act on suicidal thoughts, if you have had a physical injury, any new severe pain, you are unable to breathe or you’ve harmed yourself and need urgent medical attention.
Emergency GP appointments (emergency support)
You need urgent support for your mental health or physical health, but there’s no immediate danger to your safety or the safety of others.
Listening services (Telephone support)
You need to talk to someone right away about how you’re feeling.
Hospital Admission
- If not going to hospital would mean you or others would be at risk of harm
- If you need intensive support which cannot be given to you at home
- You need to have an assessment which cannot be done outside of hospital
If you are planning to go outside the UK, check international health services before you go, ensure you have got any medication you need and get health insurance.
If you are already under the care of a specialist, ensure that you know how to access the service in an emergency
