BusinessWire: MusiCares® Launches Groundbreaking Suicide Prevention Training and Mental Health Resources for Music Professionals in Partnership With The Jed Foundation

Forbes: MusiCares Launches Digital Mental Health Resources For Artists, Music Community 

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Benzinga: MusiCares® Launches Groundbreaking Suicide Prevention Training and Mental Health Resources for Music Professionals in Partnership With The Jed Foundation

MusicRow: MusiCares & JED Foundation Launch New Suicide Prevention Training & Mental Health Resources

The Joplin Globe: MusiCares® Launches Groundbreaking Suicide Prevention Training and Mental Health Resources for Music Professionals in Partnership With The Jed Foundation

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THE NEW DIGITAL HUB OFFERS EVIDENCE-INFORMED TOOLS TO HELP THE MUSIC COMMUNITY RECOGNIZE SIGNS OF DISTRESS AND ACCESS SUPPORT, FOLLOWING MUSICARES’ 2025 WELLNESS IN MUSIC SURVEY FINDINGS THAT 11.4% OF MUSIC PROFESSIONALS REPORTED SUICIDAL IDEATION IN THE PAST YEAR — MORE THAN DOUBLE THE GENERAL U.S. POPULATION.

SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (APRIL 14, 2026) – In response to rising rates of emotional distress and suicide risk across the music industry, MusiCares®, the leading charity supporting the health and well-being of the music community founded by the Recording Academy® in 1989, has partnered with The Jed Foundation (JED) to launch a groundbreaking digital microsite providing suicide prevention and mental health resources tailored to music professionals.

For those in the music community, the hustle and irregular schedule can make it challenging to check in on oneself and others. The new site serves as a dedicated hub for articles, self-guided learning and support tools tailored to the realities of life in music. Resources on the site address issues such as financial instability, grief, isolation, the pressures of touring, and the emotional toll of overwork. It also features a self-paced suicide prevention training course created by JED’s mental health and suicide prevention experts for artists, crew members, managers, and support teams. Built in a microlearning format, the course guides participants through recognizing warning signs, starting supportive conversations, responding when someone is in distress, and understanding when to escalate concerns and connect to available resources. Grounded in real-world touring environments and designed with a practical, peer-to-peer tone, the training equips music professionals with clear, actionable steps to strengthen a culture of care across the industry. Participants will have the opportunity to earn an industry-recognized certificate of completion.

According to MusiCares’ 2025 Wellness in Music Survey, 11.4% of music professionals reported suicidal ideation in the last year, up from 8% in 2024 and more than double the rate seen in the general U.S. population. The data also shows that one in six respondents lost a colleague to suicide in the past year. These findings underscore an urgent need for culturally competent and industry-specific mental health support.

“The numbers are heartbreaking, but they tell a story we cannot ignore,” said Theresa Wolters, Executive Director of MusiCares. “When 11.4% of our peers report thoughts of suicide, it’s not just a statistic, it’s a call to action. The music community is one of passion, connection and creative brilliance, yet too many are suffering in silence. We owe it to music people to ensure the resources and support they receive are evidence-informed, accessible and grounded in the realities of this industry. By partnering with JED, we’re helping to change that reality through best-in-class expertise.  These new resources will give music professionals the knowledge and tools to recognize when someone is struggling, have real conversations about mental health and find the help they need for this growing problem.” 

For MusiCares, this partnership builds on a long-standing effort to normalize conversations around mental health in the music industry. By working to reduce stigma around both seeking support and supporting others through emotional challenges, MusiCares continues to create a space where music professionals feel safe reaching out. As the leading expert in the care of music professionals, the organization’s programs are uniquely designed to reflect the pressures, rhythms and realities of a career in music, because no two industries experience stress in quite the same way.

“Music can reduce stress, boost mood and build community, but the people who make it all happen can also experience mental health challenges,” said Dr. Katie Hurley, JED’s Vice President of Community Initiatives. “We’re proud to partner with MusiCares to create mental health and suicide prevention resources specifically for artists, crews and teams, rooted in evidence-informed practices and tailored to the diverse realities of life on and off the road. Together, we’re providing support that can help reduce suicide.”

This collaboration reflects MusiCares’ ongoing commitment to serve as the music industry’s largest safety net for professionals facing crisis. With JED’s decades of suicide-prevention expertise and MusiCares’ direct connection to the music community, the partnership bridges a critical gap, turning evidence into action for an industry that has long struggled with access to care. Together, the organizations are taking a proactive step toward a future where no one in music has to navigate mental health challenges alone.

The microsite, launching today, will be available at musicares.org/JED. 

This initiative would not be possible without support from our sponsor, Spotify.

ABOUT MUSICARES

MusiCares helps the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world. Offering preventive, emergency and recovery programs, MusiCares is a safety net supporting the health and welfare of the music community. Founded by the Recording Academy in 1989 as a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) charity, MusiCares safeguards the well-being of all music people through direct financial grant programs, networks of support resources, and tailored crisis relief efforts. For more information please visit: www.musicares.org.

ABOUT THE JED FOUNDATION

JED is a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide for our nation’s teens and young adults. We’re partnering with high schools, colleges, school districts, and youth-serving community-based organizations to strengthen their mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programs and systems. We’re equipping teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge to help themselves and each other. We’re encouraging community awareness, understanding, and action for young adult mental health.

# # # 

CONTACT 
Jessica Carmona
MusiCares
jessica.carmona@musicares.org

The post MUSICARES® LAUNCHES GROUNDBREAKING SUICIDE PREVENTION TRAINING AND MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES FOR MUSIC PROFESSIONALS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JED FOUNDATION appeared first on The Jed Foundation.

“These verdicts reinforce what young people and families have been saying for years: These platforms are designed to keep young people hooked, and these products are harming many young people’s mental health,” said John MacPhee, JED’s CEO. “We are grateful to all the families, including those who have lost someone, who have come forward to bring cases like this to light. We also recognize the role of state leaders who are standing up for young people’s safety and mental health. Their courage has forced long-overdue accountability.” 

These cases are part of a much broader reckoning, with thousands of similar lawsuits and young people, families, communities, and states demanding change. The harm is real, and the onus must be on the companies that design platforms to prevent it. There are clear solutions that we all can demand: enforceable standards, mandatory transparency, and protections for every young person online. 

At JED, we remain committed to strengthening the systems that support youth mental health and suicide prevention nationwide. The safety and well-being of our young people must come first. Protecting them is not partisan, not optional, and not something to be deferred until after the damage is done. It is the measure of whether innovation serves society or erodes it, and the moment to choose is now.

More From JED About AI and Youth Mental Health

• Tech Companies and Policymakers Must Safeguard Youth Mental Health in AI Technologies
• When AI Hurts the Youth It Claims to Help
• Why Your Teen Shouldn’t Be Using AI Companions – and What to Do If They Are
• Why AI Companions Are Risky – and What to Know If You Already Use Them

The post Social Media Companies Finally Being Held to Account on Youth Mental Health appeared first on The Jed Foundation.

The collaboration reflects JED’s broader effort to help shape AI, media, and digital environments that better support youth mental health and suicide prevention. As generative AI tools increasingly shape how information is created and shared, the values and evidence behind those tools play an important role in how young people encounter mental health information and whether that information serves them well. 

Akari is powered by VeriSciLM, a language model designed specifically for health and science communication. The model draws on curated scientific sources and communication research, from partners including the National Academy of Medicine, FrameWorks Institute, Yale School of Public Health, and JED, alongside science translation and public health messaging recommended practices. Several of those partners are also collaborating to evaluate how Akari influences the accuracy, clarity, and trustworthiness of mental health content. 

JED’s Digital Storytelling Guide — tools and guidance for creators on how to tell mental health stories in ways that are safe, impactful, and supportive of both their audiences and their own well-being — is integrated into Akari’s creator workflows. ​​JED is also participating in Akari’s ongoing review and evaluation, contributing expertise as the tool develops. 

Akari’s eight-week pilot for health and wellness content creators launched on March 16. It aims to demonstrate what responsible, research-informed AI can look like in practice and to generate insights into what increases trust, accuracy, and emotional resonance in creator-driven mental health content. That will contribute to a still-nascent body of knowledge about how AI tools can support rather than undermine the safe, accurate mental health information that young people deserve.

JED is committed to ensuring that AI supports youth mental health, and this partnership with S2P is one part of that work. 

Read more about JED’s thinking on AI, media, and youth well-being.

The post JED Partners With Science to People on Akari Pilot, a New AI Tool for Science and Health Communication appeared first on The Jed Foundation.

At JED, we closely analyzed national suicide mortality data from 2021 to 2024 by sex and across age groups, race, and ethnicity. We found significant declines among young people ages 10 to 14, 15 to 19, and 20 to 24 — and overall across ages 10 to 24. The declines were driven largely by reductions in suicide rates among boys and young men, where decreases were observed across every age group. Rates among girls remained statistically unchanged.

We also saw significant overall declines among non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native, white, and Asian youth ages 10 to 24, as well as among Black teens ages 15 to 19.

Although we welcome the declines, suicide rates among young people remain much too high. 

We are still facing a youth mental health crisis, and troubling disparities persist. Suicide rates among non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native youth are consistently very high despite declines. Also, for the first time, suicide rates among Black young adults ages 20 to 24 surpassed those of their white peers — a concerning shift given historically lower rates among this group. The gap between Black and white teens ages 15 to 19 has also narrowed as Black youth rates have increased over time.

Firearms remain the leading cause of suicide death among young people, accounting for more than half of youth suicides. Firearm suicide rates among 10- to 24-year-olds peaked in 2021 and declined slightly by 2024, but not equitably. Rates declined among non-Hispanic white youth, but not among their Black peers. Firearm suicide rates among Black 10- to 24-year-olds surpassed those of white youth for the first time in 2022 and remained high in 2023 and 2024.

These are not just statistics. They reflect young lives, families, and communities. And they remind us why JED’s mission to protect emotional health and prevent suicide among teens and young adults has never been more critical.

Using Momentum for Meaningful Change

Declines in suicide rates show that prevention is possible, but our work is not over. Millions of young people continue to struggle with hopelessness, despair, isolation, and suicidal thoughts. Suicide mortality data represents only the most tragic outcome of a much larger crisis of emotional distress.

At JED, we know that prevention works, and that it requires a comprehensive, sustained approach. We partner with K-12 school districts, high schools, colleges, and community-based organizations to strengthen mental health systems, equip young people with life skills that build resilience, and mobilize communities.

JED also promotes safe and responsible firearm storage and other evidence-based interventions designed to reduce access to the most lethal means of suicide. Because suicide attempts are often impulsive, increasing time and distance between a person in crisis and a lethal method can save lives. Interventions include safe handling and secure storage of firearms, counseling on access to lethal means by clinicians and social service providers, and legislation that ensures that parents and families with children at risk for suicide are offered education on firearm safety.

Your Partnership Saves Lives

This new data shows us that progress is possible, but sustained progress requires sustained commitment. Our work and mission are more urgent than ever as disparities widen for some groups, firearm suicide rates remain among the highest in our nation’s history, and so many young people still feel disconnected and alone.

Your support makes it possible for JED to expand our reach, deepen our partnerships, and strengthen the comprehensive systems that protect young lives. Together we can build on this moment not only to continue to reduce suicide rates from historic highs, but also to create a future in which every young person has the support, connection, and hope they deserve. We are grateful to stand with you in this lifesaving work.

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