Potential Increase of Anxiety and Depression Among Performing Artists

Let's dive into a serious topic picking up steam in the mental health of performing arts—failure shame. This is becoming a big deal and could seriously ramp up anxiety and depression for performers over the next decade. We're staring down the possibility of a significant mental health crisis as performers experience increased shame from failures that are normal and expected in the arts.

It's Already Pretty Rough

Let's face it, being an artist can take a toll on mental health. The stats are pretty alarming: performers are two times more likely to struggle with depression compared to the average population (Equity, 2022). When it comes to anxiety, the numbers are pretty staggering—24% of dancers, 32% of opera singers, and an eye-popping 60% of actors are dealing with anxiety symptoms (Equity, 2022). That's a lot to deal with, but things could get even more complicated in the next ten years as failure shame grows.

Social Media: Making Everything More Intense

Social media has become like fueling the fire when feeling ashamed of failures. What started as a way for artists to connect with their fans is now a pressure cooker of anxiety. Every performance, creative choice, and career move is getting picked apart, with instant reactions from anyone with a phone (Sperling, 2024). These days, it's not just managing critics; it's about dealing with comments from anyone, anywhere, all the time.

The Perfectionism-Shame Spiral

Things can get tangled up. Perfectionism and shame are like toxic buddies that feed into each other and make everything tougher. When performers put insane pressure on themselves (common in this field), even the tiniest slip-up can feel like a total disaster (Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism, Shame, Unrealistic Expectations, and the Patriarchy, 2023). In the world of performing arts, where everything's out in the open, these "failures" can hit hard.

Why the Next Ten Years Look Worrying

We're in for some tough mental health times ahead. The performing arts scene is already juggling shaky job situations, odd hours, and never-ending money stress (Equity, 2022). With the continued increase in failure shame and the pressure to keep up a flawless look on social media, it's a perfect setup for trouble.

Social media is so intertwined with our lives now that failure shame isn't just about flopping on stage anymore. It's about how you come off to everyone all the time, like 24/7 (Richards et al., 2024). One bad performance can blow up online and stick around forever.

Ballet dancers have it tough. On top of the usual stress of performing, they're also battling high expectations about their bodies and the emotional strain that comes from endless rehearsals (Gregory & Interiano-Shiverdecker, 2021).

Some Hope on the Horizon

It's not all bad news. There are good things happening that might help turn things around. More organizations are stepping up with mental health support services specifically for performers. Some of these programs are doing well—like the ones that offer therapy with people who understand the performing arts scene.

Research involving Australian performers has found that developing self-compassion can help cut down on feelings of depression and anxiety. (Walton et al., 2025). This could be a game changer for tackling that whole shame around failing.

There's a trend happening where performers are starting to build networks to help each other out and swap stories about their experiences. (Cid-Vega & Brown, 2023). Realizing you're not the only one dealing with these challenging times can help.

What Needs to Happen

To tackle the expected rise in anxiety and depression, we need to address the issue of failure shame right now. Here's how we can do it: 

• Make mental health resources easier to access for performers

• Show performers how to deal with the pressure from social media

• Create stronger support networks within the performing arts community

• Push back against that perfectionist culture that drives shame

The Bottom Line

The next decade might be tough for performing artists when it comes to mental health, especially with the shame of failing becoming such a big deal. But if we start tackling these issues now and build better support systems, we could make a difference. The world of performing arts is all about creativity and bouncing back—let's use those strengths to push back against this mental health crisis before it gets worse.

References

Cid-Vega, A., & Brown, A. D. (2023). Reimagining communities of care in the performing arts: A call for a community-based task-sharing approach to address the mental health needs of performing artists. SSM - Mental Health, 3, 100222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2023.100222

‌Equity. (2022, May 12). Performing arts mental health. Equity. https://www.equity.org.uk/news/2022/equity-global-study-finds-those-working-in-the-performing-arts-are-more-likely-to-experience-poor-mental-health

Gregory, J. C., & Interiano-Shiverdecker, C. G. (2021). Behind the Curtain: Ballet Dancers' Mental Health – The Professional Counselor. The Professional Counselor. https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/behind-the-curtain-ballet-dancers-mental-health/

‌Imposter Syndrome and Perfectionism, Shame, Unrealistic Expectations, and the Patriarchy | Online Anxiety Therapy For Anxious Millennials. (2023). Millennialtherapy.com. https://www.millennialtherapy.com/anxiety-therapy-blog/imposter-syndrome-and-perfectionism

‌Richards, J., Niitsu, K., & Kenworthy, N. (2024). Mental Health v. Social Media: How US pretrial filings against social media platforms frame and leverage evidence for claims of youth mental health harms. SSM - Mental Health, 100378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmmh.2024.100378

‌Sperling, J. (2024, March 29). The Social Dilemma: Social Media and Your Mental Health. McLean Hospital; McLean Hospital. https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health

Walton, C. C., Kirby, J. N., McKenzie, S., Gao, C. X., Purcell, R., Rice, S. M., & Osborne, M. S. (2025). A preliminary investigation into self-compassion and compassion-based intervention for mental health in the performing arts. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1512114