Aug. 3, 2023 – A number of mental health experts told TheWrap that although suicides among the general population rose during the pandemic, people who work in entertainment can be particularly vulnerable.
“Entertainment is already an occupational group that’s at increased risk,” said Colleen Carr, director of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, citing a study conducted by the CDC in 2016 that demonstrated people who work in entertainment, sports and media had suicide rates significantly higher than those of the general population.
“Suicides among famous people are up because suicides among everyone in America is up. It’s a national disaster. And we only pay attention to it, it seems, when a famous person dies,” said Charles R. Cross, author of the Kurt Cobain biography “Heavier Than Heaven.”
Cross cited the lack of access to mental health care even for those who are insured as well as the often unmanageable costs of treatment and taking time off from work.
“If this were a disease you caught, there would be benefits every weekend, with everyone in Hollywood doing things to raise awareness,” he told TheWrap.
The conversation about suicide prevention in Hollywood is ongoing, but it’s not always easy to tell who is having a mental health crisis, let alone get them help in time.
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