Part of the raising awareness about mental health in the music community is talking about it. As difficult as this can be, when we talk about our own struggles with mental illness, we open the door for others to speak up and reach out for help. This week, Garbage's lead singer Shirley Manson and British singer/songwriter James Blake did just this.
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Manson penned an article for The New York Times on her history with self-injury, which became her coping method as a teenager to deal with overwhelming circumstances. The need to self-injure stopped when she found herself in a loving relationship later on, but the urges returned during what Manson describes as the "immense physical and mental pressure" of touring the reissued version of Garbage's 1998 album, Version 2.0.
Separately during the a panel titled "You Got This: Managing the Suicide Crisis in the Arts Population" at the Performing Arts Medicine Association's annual symposium on July 1, Blake echoed a similar sentiment when he recounted his own mental health struggles due to the rigors of touring.
"Your connection to other people becomes surface level," Blake said of being on tour, which led to depression and "eventual suicidal thoughts." "If you were only in town for one day and someone asked you how you are, you go into the good stuff … which generally doesn't involve how anxious you feel [or] how depressed you feel."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Please read. I've wanted to say this for a long time, and now seemed as good a time as any. <a href="https://t.co/1fSPt7SJnx">pic.twitter.com/1fSPt7SJnx</a></p>— James Blake (@jamesblake) <a href="https://twitter.com/jamesblake/status/1000228403998425088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2018</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Blake also expressed frustration about the myth that creativity must include some kind of suffering. In fact, Blake says the opposite is true in his experience.
"There is this myth that you have to be anxious to be creative, that you have to be depressed to be a genius," Blake said. "I can truly say that anxiety has never helped me create. And I've watched it destroy my friends' creative process, too."
Blake sought mental health treatment and found a healthy support system in his partner. As a result, he's learned to say no to constant touring, which has benefited his health and wellness. Manson, meanwhile, has been able to keep her health goals top of mind and take a stand against mental illness.
"I vow to hold my ground. I choose to speak up. I attempt to be kind, not only to myself but also to other people," Manson wrote. "I surround myself with those who treat me well. I strive to be creative and determine to do things that make me happy. I believe it is not what we look like that is important, but who we are."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Shirley Manson <a href="https://twitter.com/garbage?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@garbage</a>: The first time I cut myself <a href="https://t.co/aaMdNdl0Cb">https://t.co/aaMdNdl0Cb</a> <a href="https://t.co/MQBtJpjb19">pic.twitter.com/MQBtJpjb19</a></p>— New York Times Music (@nytimesmusic) <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimesmusic/status/1014150522679582720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2018</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And as for why it's important for artists to speak out on difficult topics like mental health, Blake identifies that this generation of artists — and all of us — have a responsibility to reduce the stigma of seeking support for our mental health to reduce the number of people who suffer in silence.
"We are the generation that's watched several other generations of musicians turn to drugs and turn to excess and coping mechanisms that have destroyed them," Blake said during the panel. "There are so many high-profile people recently who have taken their own lives. So we have a responsibility to talk about it and remove the stigma."
