Episode 69: Mental Health and the Musician's Life

Austin has a vaunted reputation as the "Live Music Capital of the World", and the city's signature live music event, Austin City Limits, is taking place right now over the next two weekends. It's a blast for music lovers and a cash cow for the city. But to say that the highly competitive and demanding Austin music scene can tax a musician's mental health is an understatement. The SIMS Foundation was started in 1995. It is named in honor of Sims Ellison, an Austin musician who took his own life. Today, the organization serves about 600 musicians and music industry workers a year, connecting them to sorely-needed services and supports. On this episode Patsy Bouressa, SIMS clinical director, and Vanessa Lively, an Austin-area musician who heads her own nonprofit, Home Street Music, shed some light on the mental health needs of this community, and why music fans, in Austin and elsewhere, should be paying attention. Music credit: "A Chain Unbroken" by Vanessa Lively. https://www.amazon.com/Chain-Unbroken-Vanessa-Lively/dp/B0016CP11Y Related link: http://hogg.utexas.edu/podcast-wnba-athlete-mental-health-sports