Eaves Wilder - Are You Diagnosed? [Video]

This song is fun, you might think, but London-based singer/songwriter Eaves Wilder tackles a serious topic from her own perspective. While her new track “Are You Diagnosed?” is a sweet romp at first listen, it is about the broken system that is supposed to treat mental illness in Britain.

She explains:

“I first entered the Child and Adolescent Mental Health services — or CAMHS — when I was eleven.” explains Eaves. “Although they did finally help me, and I left at the age of fifteen, ‘Are You Diagnosed?’ is basically a stream-of-consciousness, scream for help rant/report about what it’s like in those awful, quiet waiting rooms, and consulting rooms.

“As CAHMS is so dangerously underfunded by the government, the deal is— the closer you are to death, the higher up the waiting list you go. Which on average is around 16 months. And people with eating disorders are competitive anyway, so it’s very easy to look around the waiting room, and think, ‘I need to be the most ill person here. I need to get … ill-er than the girl with the bandages on her arms, or the tube up her nose – or I’ll never get treated. I’m going to make my way up that list.”

“Are You Diagnosed?” is on Eaves’ debut EP Hookey, out on March 24. Listen to our Song Pick of the Day on your favorite streaming service or watch the video below:

(Photo: Holly Whitaker)