Does Hollywood make people go crazy?
The pressures of making it in Hollywood can make it a breeding ground for psychological disorders.
Talent agents have to manage their clients, movie producers have to create great films, actors have to withstand criticism and executives have to make money. All of these stressors can easily put someone over the edge and into a mental hospital or turn to drugs to self-medicate their mental issues.
The tragic experience of Robin Williams and the recent tragic death of another such significant performer, Philip Seymour Hoffman, reveal that Hollywood can be a very horrific place if people are not careful and do not seek counseling
In a new report by the Hollywood Reporter, Dr. Larry Shaw examined some of the most common mental illnesses plaguing entertainment industry professionals. Issues ranging from Daddy issues, to “agent caretaker fatigue”, to even depression.
Talent Agents
Many talent agents are constantly forced to take care of their big budget clients. That means taking them to award shows, making sure they know their lines, constantly finding their actors a new job, and ultimately becoming a big brother to their client. However, over time this can be detrimental to a talent agent’s health.
The symptoms that I see in “agent caretaker fatigue” are agitation, anxiety, depression, burnout. Agents can get very burnt out by the constant crisis management. They’re seen as assholes because agents tend to be type A negotiators. They are their clients’ protectors, and their job is to be the bad cop. Being driven, aggressive, perfectionistic and obsessive: Those are the traits of the person who is drawn to this work and succeeds at it.
A lot of agents come from chaotic households, where there was unpredictability and where they became a parentified child in some way. They had to grow up prematurely and take care of people, and they learned to be good at it at a very young age.
Writers
The entertainment industry would be nothing without writers however, they are usually at the bottom of the industry’s totem pole. They have little power and are often replaced if things go wrong. Therefore, psychologists argue that many writers suffer from self confidence issues.
Many writers begin to transfer strong parental feelings onto people in positions of power. When writers hand in a script, people will judge it — and these people will love you or they won’t. That can chip away at self-confidence. People come to Hollywood in search of an approving parent and it’s the worst place in the world to find one. The hurly-burly of show business, the fast and dirty part of it, can be overwhelming; the political, financial and competitive aspect is at odds with the thoughtful, reflective way that writers process information.
Actors
Actors are constantly scrutinized, criticized and often minimized on set. An actor is judged based upon on how they walk, talk and even what they eat.
If they’re quiet, they’re depressed or hiding something or their marriage is on the rocks. If she has a drink, she’s an alcoholic. If he has dinner with someone, he must be having an affair. It takes a lot of energy to locate themselves amid this projection.
This causes many actors to “fake” or constantly remain in character even outside of set – this is what many psychologists argue causes mental health issues.
Many actors yearn to let down their guard. When people pretend too much, they often become very depressed. But when they allow themselves to be vulnerable in public, they can be blindsided.
You can read the full report on Psychological disorders in Hollywood here.
