Hollywood’s Mental Health Crisis: How Film & TV Workers Can Seek Support From Their Unions

Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of Deadline reports looking at how the current upheaval in the media & entertainment industry is impacting mental health.

One year ago, Hollywood found itself in the midst a historic work stoppage, with two unions — the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA — walking the picket lines at every major studio in town. While both unions eventually struck new three-year deals, the film and TV industry is still reeling from the consequences.

Throughout the majority of last year, production workers remained hopeful that opportunities would pick up once the new deals, reached after more than 100 days each, had been made. But for a variety of reasons, that hasn’t been the case.

A sustained pattern of decline in production that began before the strikes was only accelerated in the second half of last year. Production in the U.S. was down 40% in Q2 2024 compared to pre-strike Hollywood, according to a recent report from ProdPro. Globally, it’s down 16%.

That, combined with headwinds from streaming costs at the studios, and the C-suite need to reduce suffocating debt load, has led to a swath of job cuts industrywide. Those cuts look increasingly permanent in some sectors with the widespread introduction of AI in the months since the strikes were resolved.

Deadline has gathered a list of mental health resources for Hollywood union members who may need support during this time.

All Hollywood unions are supporters of the Entertainment Community Fund, which provides a range of mental health services for entertainment professionals, including as assessment to determine which resources might be the most aligned with an individual’s need. The Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Will Rogers Motion Picture Pioneers Foundation both have a comprehensive list of resources available as well. Social service consultations will assess the needs of the the individual and provide advice, advocacy and counseling. They also provide temporary financial aid for medication, diagnostic tests, health insurance, and even careers counseling and skills retraining.

Below are more resources broken down by union.

Writers Guild of America

Unemployment Support Guide – The WGA has a three-part guide to navigating job loss and sustained periods of unemployment. The guide spans every step of the process from understanding how to maintain one’s WGA membership and begin receiving unemployment benefits to accessing financial assistance to finding new employment.

Resource Hub – Although the strike is over, the WGA’s resource hub that was established last year is still active. When trying to figure out where to look for help, this is a comprehensive place to start, gathering dozens of assistance programs all in one place.

The WGA Health Plan offers several options for mental health coverage, including emergency care. The plan also covers ongoing therapy, as is required by federal law, and medication for mental health conditions. Telemedicine is also an option, allowing participants to book face-to-face appointments with a licensed therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist for only $10.

Directors Guild of America

The DGA Health Plan covers range of professional mental health services are covered. In addition to ongoing, outpatient therapy, other resources available to Health Plan members include inpatient hospital stays, mental health and substance abuse intensive outpatient treatment, certain prescriptions drugs, partial hospitalization and residential care.

The Directors Guild Foundation also offers interest-free loans to any member facing financial hardship. That is in addition to the recently established DGA Emergency Relief Fund, which provides $1,000 grants to those in financial crisis.

Teamsters Motion Picture Division

The Teamsters Human Rights & Diversity Commission works to make a variety of resources available to members — and make them easy to find. Through the Motion Picture Industry Health and Pension Plans, members can speak to an employee assistance program representative 24/7, even if they do not currently have coverage, to determine next steps.

The MPI plans can also include up to five free counseling sessions per issue per year. In addition to finding someone to talk to, the MPI also has resources like videos and articles to keep members informed about anxiety, depression, anger, substance use, family issues, and more.

For in-network services, members can pay as little as $5 for ongoing outpatient treatment. Inpatient admission fees and deductibles are also covered for in-network facilities, and insurance will help cover other costs incurred by inpatient, residential and partial/day treatment.

IATSE

IATSE also participates in the Motion Picture Industry Health and Pension Plans, meaning many of the above services are also available to all of the union’s members.

IATSE also works with Behind The Scenes, a charity that provides an online therapist locator so that people can find therapists that are familiar with the entertainment industry. BTS also has a series of online behavioral self-assessments, which can help a person determine which mental health services might be best suited for them and give them language to understand how they are struggling.

IATSE also reimburses members who participate in the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s Mental Health First Aid Training. According to the union, about 1,000 members have already taken the course, which teaches how to recognize and respond to signs and symptoms specific mental health struggles as well as how to provide initial support in both crisis and non-crisis situations to anyone who may need it before they can connect with the appropriate professional treatment.

SAG-AFTRA

The SAG-AFTRA Health Plan offers comprehensive behavioral health benefits through Carelon. The 24-hour help line can assist with initial support for depression, anxiety and stress as well as referrals for therapy. It is also useful for anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or a substance abuse disorder.

There is also a content library full of videos and other educational tools to learn more about specific mental health issues and treatments.

Next Up: On-set therapists