Feeling stressed? Join a choir, says top psychiatrist. (Dec 31 2018) Davis, Classic fM

[ladycatlover]

Article by Elizabeth Davis
https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/feeling-stressed-join-a-choir/

One of the UK’s leading psychiatrists has said that students who are feeling stressed should try joining a choir.

In a keynote speech at a recent conference on the subject of mental health among students, Professor Sir Simon Wessely hit out at many of the mental health services offered by universities.


“The risk is not just ineffective solutions, but the real possibility that our solutions may actually be contributing to the problem.”

He went on to say: “I would love to see trials of volunteering, peer support, sport, drama, choir and so on – that’s the research I believe we need.”

Can't help feeling he'd like to do that research on us!

He told the paper that having a strong social support network was “probably better” then seeing professional help – and doesn’t “involve the risk of maybe thinking you have a disorder when you don’t”.

So it's not just us that has a belief that we "have a disorder".

 

[alex3619]

Join a choir? There would be little that would be more stressful to me. Music is intolerable noise for me, and just the effort of attending, net alone trying to memorise words and actually singing, would regularly crash me. This might or might not be good advice for many otherwise healthy people, but all general advice has to be seen through the specific limitations of individuals, especially those with chronic disease.

For the record I do like music when it has a visual component. Somehow my brain can make sense of it, perhaps because more of my brain is engaged. So I like videoclip, movie, TV show and computer game music much of the time ... but this does not extend to bad music. Its just that when there are visuals I can appreciate good music. Of course my bad music might be good music for some, but that is for them to consider.

 

[Mithriel]

Singing and dancing are good for people and something has been lost from life as we have stopped being performers and become consumers. It being the New Year I have a deep longing for the parties at my Gran's house. Everyone welcome and everyone sang going round in a circle. If you were a rubbish singer you did a few lines and then everyone joined in. My great grandfather would stand holding his hands together and sing like McCormick, my younger uncles sang blues and country. Then we would dance to Jimmy Shand out in the garden, but all the neighbours were there anyway, then a conga home.

Wouldn't we all like some FUN. (Oh, and it didn't stop me getting ME. My cousins would try and help me stand but it became impossible)

 

[hellytheelephant]

Well if I was well enough to go out to a choir....

 

[rvallee]

“The risk is not just ineffective solutions, but the real possibility that our solutions may actually be contributing to the problem.”

The lack of self-reflection would be impressive if it wasn't so catastrophic to millions.

Can you imagine that, ineffective solutions that contribute to the problem? I don't even need to imagine it, I'm living it. And have warned about it. To the people who have spent their career creating the problem in the first place, the consequence of which has been the near complete loss of a social support network, because people don't help those who are "sick" when this is what medicine insists is "evidence-based" or whatever.

Makes me think of the opening scene in Team America: World police, where they destroy half of Paris trying to kill some terrorists and pause for thanks and applause saying it could have been very bad if they had not intervened.

Except with 20M+ victims it's more like an entire nation has been sacrificed to Wesselly and his colleagues' nonsensical BS. Really reaching for that top 10 ranking of medical professionals who have willingly and knowingly destroyed the most lives, if it's not already there.

 

[Diluted-biscuit]

Choirs are intolerable noise for me so I think I will pass. They cause me enough stress just having to hear them on TV occasionally.

 

[Trish]

I have several healthy friends whose lives are very stressful because of family members who are very sick. They find being in a choir very supportive and enjoyable. The advice is clearly not relevant to most of us with ME.

 

[Invisible Woman]

Even if I were well enough to sing in a choir, even if it did me good, it would undoubtedly be pure torture for everyone else.

 

[Binkie4]

I find singing enjoyable and uplifting but not always possible with ME. Orthostatic intolerance means being unable to stand for rehearsals and voice doesn’t work properly when seated.
I rejoined the choir last term partly because it was music I knew so I would be able to miss the odd rehearsal but had to give up. Was very disappointed.

Yes. And I do like FUN singing too but often done with movement so cannot join in there either.

ETA: wonder if Wessely sings- just musing......

 

[Skycloud]

Perhaps Wessely is trying to make a reasonable point that for stressed out students taking part in enjoyable and sociable activity could be a good way of alleviating stress. I think this is old advice, isn't it? The danger is when this is taken to mean, or purposely stretched to mean, that activities can be some kind of miracle treatment for serious problems. I can't see the point of this article - quiet time of year filler?