A new study has found that half of people working in Australia’s entertainment industry suffer moderate to severe anxiety, a rate 10 times over the national average.

The report by industry health provider Entertainment Assist and Victoria University was entertainment-specific but it does highlight serious health issues of people working in creative industries. You can read the full report here.

It found that people in the entertainment industry – actors, performers, stage hands, script writers, technicians etc – had a high propensity for depression and 60 per cent of those surveyed had sought treatment for mental health issues.

The report, titled Working in the Australian Entertainment Industry, was based on an online study of 3000 people deemed employed by the local entertainment industry.

Adding to the mental health woes, the report also found the industry was appallingly paid with a third earning less than $20,000 a year. The report also found “a powerful, negative culture within the industry including a toxic, bruising work environment; extreme competition; bullying; sexual assault; sexism and racism.”

The study found that creative industries tend to attract people who are more artistic and hence more prone to mental health issues.

Worryingly still, it found that rates of suicide ideation among people in the industry was six times the national average.