LOS ANGELES—ManyVids on Thursday launched a free and confidential crisis intervention service for its content creators in response to ongoing concerns about mental health raised by adult entertainers. The company aims to provide adult performers with support and resources that positively contribute to their mental health and well-being.
"Issues of mental health impacts people across occupations, so it's important to not further stigmatize adult entertainers as being more prone to these issues by being sex workers," said Sed Dehan, chief operating officer of ManyVids. "What we do know is that adult performers face particular challenges that make accessing support difficult, such as stigma and shaming from health professionals or internalized stigma that may lead them to believe they don't deserve mental health care."
The MV Hotline provides mental health and emotional support as well as information to adult entertainers worldwide. An MV Support Worker will take calls, answer emails, and is available to chat from 8 to 4 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday to start. The MV Hotline was primarily designed for MV Stars, the platform's content creators, however ManyVids assures the service is open to any adult entertainer who may be in need.
The MV Hotline will also be adding to the lineup of the MV Blog that lets readers connect with adult content creators on a personal level. The MV Support Workers will be writing an ongoing blog series dedicated to informative posts on everything from mental health, sexuality, internet privacy, and more.
ManyVids will also develop and offer webinars where adult content creators from all over the globe can come together to learn about relevant topics while asking questions, sharing, and interacting with the MV Support Workers and each other.
"Our message, loud and clear, is that mental health care should be available to everyone," Dehan added. "We're here to provide judgment-free support."
While callers are not restricted to discussing issues related to sex work, ManyVids took some steps to understand the particular challenges that may arise from working in the adult industry to best support its content creators. For more information about the MV Hotline, click here.
