http://www.guitarplayer.com/miscell...more-likely-to-be-depressed-and-anxious/60482

 

Yup. This is why I was a drug addict when I was younger. Opiates are marvelously effective for depression and anxiety... in the short term, that is.

 

I should hope so, songs about sunshine and happiness are rubbish

 

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Yes, had my dark era in the 20s.I think 20s, especially early 20s is a time where people get lost, you have to find a purpose and then you can climb back to being a winner.My definition of a winner is someone who appreciates the little things in life, just living, creating, appreciating each day, being healthy.
The less things you need in life to make you happy, the easier it is to feed your soul.
Being content is winning.Having a roof over your head and not being hungry is winning.
Being able to produce music is the ultimate win.Don`t take it for granted, every thing ends one day.
Eat healthy, dont do drugs and do what you love as much as you can.

 

I'd definitely believe it. I've seen a lot of people get off of drugs with music. A lot.

 

I went to hospital at 18 because of a tried suicide. Thought I'd be back on track, until at the age of 40 I was diagnosed with Depression and General Anxiety Disorder due to an unresolved trauma. It's the same trauma that led me to music as a way to express myself...

 

Mental health is the silent killer. All three of my closest friends growing up killed themselves.

 

Music is therapy if you know how to channel your emotions, and it's where all the great music comes from.

 

I think that's a chicken and an egg problem. Does one become a musician because of depression, or one becomes depressed because of being a musician? hmmm...

 

My conundrum is cyclical in nature. Since my unhappy accident with the outcome of fracturing my sacrum and putting a tremendous womping on my coxxyx, I have been in constant pain which up to this point two years down the line can still only be calmed in degree by opiods. The medication affects my train of thought which makes it virtually impossible for me to carry on a creative musical dialog. I can't even really begin let alone carry on through to the end of a song even when collaborating with friends (and it isn't fair to them I guess for me to even entertain, to even try to do something together). The brakes slam on and I am just facing a blank wall This has contributed to a good bit of depression as I have so much creativity all bundled up inside of myself just slamming into the walls of my mind with no real exit for it. Then of course the medication itself has its own way to clamp down on much in the way of a joyful aspect in my life. So the pain makes it necessary to take the medication which keeps me at arm's length from my musical joy which it seems creates a depression in mood, and I kind of always was a bit depressed to begin with, so.... A vile and pernicious circle of nonjoy. Hopefully one day soon I'll be able to get off this crazy bus that keeps driving around and around and around.

Rant over...that felt good!

 

I think it's both. As the article points out, it is possible to fall into depression and anxiety because of the music business, but as @Zenarcist said, music can be a therapy as well.

 

@superliquidsunshine I feel you! I hope you can jump off the bus someday!

 

I think it's two separate cases. A depressed person may be naturally drawn to music as an emotional outlet, and a normally functioning person working in the music industry may become depressed due to the conditions mentioned in that article, such as a lack of money, etc. Of course a depressed person drawn to music may find that their condition worsens due to the employment conditions, but the condition might also improve if he/she is not doing it solely for the money.

 

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Anybody here know any musical artists that use anti-depressants? I wonder if it dulls creativity...
There were some rough times in life.. where my doctor suggested these chemicals to me.. but I never
felt comfortable unleashing these harsh solutions on my brain chemistry .. !

In that article, it sounds like the compromise of trying to make "commercial product" type
music is what leads to depression. It's another symptom of taking something that's
supposed to be a human pursuit of creativity and community..and turning it to
the purposes of a money "machine."

So if you have the soul of an aritist..it may be best to do as @Von_Steyr said... and more
or less let your music be its own reward, or become a psychopath or otherwise mental
individual to "make it" monetarily... there seem to be quite a number of
musicians who have crashed into the rocks trying to deal with this machine...

Welcome my son, welcome to the machine.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Nov 3, 2016

This! This philosophy makes me feel more satisfied in life. I wasn't like that in my 20s, too, so I was too depressed and had a breakdown even... I slowly came to my senses afterwards. Really people, be more humble in life, it will make you so much more happy. Enjoy fucking life.

 

Ive struggled with it since the day i was born... an nothings changed >>> drugs an depression ,altho most my addictions these days are Legal > at least where i live here in Colorado but hey ;) to each his own bodily poison... Musicians minds are far more advanced than the regular Joe >>> Yes Sir! >>> an for the better and the worse lol

 

No, but I know me. I use them since my diagnosis (paired with a life long therapy). The ones I use are called "Citalopram" and work like a bad mood blocker. I encountered that they block any extreme feelings, so that you can start to enjoy life again. But, there are also positive extreme feelings. I hope there aren't any kids reading, but orgasms are out of reach (don't get me wrong, sexual arousal is still there, just the tip of the iceberg is missing). If I want to have sex I need to stop taking the pills, but if I do I'm back to depression, which doesn't really make you desire sex

However, I feel less creative since I take them. Inspiration seems to not strike me as often as it used to. That may be due to the medication, but may also be due to me getting old. But, naturally I would think that if your inspiration comes from your bad feelings, it should be obvious that you lose it if you prevent those feelings to a degree.

 

@tulamide sorry to hear that man... quite a catch 22... ouch...

 

I honestly dont have any true/real friends that are not a Musician of some kind because the other side will never understand me as much as i do not understand them

 

Others are just jealous cause youre a cool mofo