Scottish musicians reveal mental health struggles in lockdown
Leading Scottish musicians are togo public with their mental health struggle sin a powerful new film being launched this week.
Pipers, fiddlers, singers and composers recall how their lives and careers have been blighted by anxiety, depression, alcoholism, anorexia and suicide attempts.
The hour-long BBC Alba film, which is broadcast at 9pm tomorrow, features some of the best-known performers at Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival, which launches a series of online concerts on Friday.
The musicians are interviewed by Misc ha Macpherson, one of Scotland’ s leading Gaelic singers, who discusses her own difficulties in the documentary, which examines why so many musicians suffer problems.
The film, Ceol is Cradh, explores the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of performers who have no idea when they will be able to play for audiences.
It unite sa group of musicians for the first time since the events industry was forced to shut down.
Speaking in the documentary, Lewis-born Macpherson, a former Gaelic singer of the year in Scotland says: “From a young age, I’ve struggled with perfectionism.
"Even when my parents or teachers were happy with what I’d done, I wasn’t. I put an incredible amount of pressure on myself and often I’d become distressed thinking that neither I, nor what I was doing, were good enough.
"To the present day this is still a massive part of my life and I know that it’s holding me back. I’ve never made an album because of the fear and anxiety that it wouldn’ t be good enough.”
Perthshire piper Ross A inslie, who performs with Dougie Mac Lean, Salsa Celtic and Treacherous Orchestra, recalls giving up alcohol seven years ago after drinking heavily to try to deal with depression.
He says :“When you have depressive thoughts you can hide it with substances or whatever but then you’ve got to deal with the aftermath. That can be quite dangerous."
Highland fiddler Chloe Bryce, a recent graduate of the Royal Conser vatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, suffered regularly from anxiety.
She said: “It’s about expecting to o much from myself.”