In a new study, we found art therapy was linked to positive outcomes for children and adolescents in a hospital-based mental health unit.
Creating art for healing purposes dates back , to the practices of around the world. Art therapy uses creative processes, primarily visual art such as painting, drawing or sculpture, with a view to improving physical health and .
When people face significant physical or mental ill-health, it can be challenging to . Art therapists support people to explore and process overwhelming thoughts, feelings and experiences through a reflective art-making process. This is , which often focus on technical aspects of the artwork, or the aesthetics of the final product.
Art therapy can be used to support treatment for of physical and mental health conditions. It has benefits including improved self-awareness, social connection and emotional regulation, while lowering levels of distress, anxiety and even pain scores.
In a study published this week in the , we found art therapy was associated with positive outcomes for children and adolescents in a hospital-based mental health unit.
An option for those who can’t find the words
While a person’s engagement in talk therapies may sometimes be affected by the nature of their illness, in art therapy.
Where possible, after finishing an artwork, a person can of their work with the art therapist, translating unspoken symbolic material into verbal reflection.
However, as the talking component is less central to the therapeutic process, art therapy is an accessible option for people who may not be able to find the words to describe their experiences.
Art therapy has supported improved mental health outcomes for people who have , people with , and , as well as .
Art therapy has also been linked to improved outcomes for people with a range of . These include lower levels of anxiety, depression and fatigue among people with , enhanced psychological stability for patients with , and improved social connection among people who have experienced a .
Art therapy has been associated with improved mood and anxiety levels for patients , and lower pain, tiredness and depression among .
Our research
Mental ill-health, including among , presents a major challenge for our society. While most care takes place , a small proportion of young people require to ensure their safety.
In this environment, practices that place even greater restriction, such as seclusion or physical restraint, may be used briefly as a last resort to ensure immediate physical safety. However, these “restrictive practices” are associated with negative effects such as post-traumatic stress for and .
Worryingly, staff report a lack of alternatives to keep patients . However, the elimination of is a major aim of mental health services in Australia and internationally.
looked at more than six years of data from a child and adolescent mental health hospital ward in Australia. We sought to determine whether there was a reduction in restrictive practices during the periods when art therapy was offered on the unit, compared to times when it was absent.
We found a clear association between the provision of art therapy and reduced frequency of seclusion, physical restraint and injection of sedatives on the unit.
We don’t know the precise reason for this. However, art therapy may have lessened levels of severe distress among patients, thereby reducing the risk they would harm themselves or others, and the likelihood of staff using restrictive practices to prevent this.
That said, hospital admission involves multiple therapeutic interventions including talk-based therapies and medications. Confirming the effect of a therapeutic intervention requires controlled clinical trials where people are randomly assigned one treatment or another.
Although ours was an observational study, randomised controlled trials support the benefits of art therapy in youth mental health services. For instance, a 2011 showed reduced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder among adolescents randomised to trauma-focussed art therapy compared to a “control” arts and crafts group.
What do young people think?
In we found art therapy was considered by adolescents in hospital-based mental health care to be the most helpful group therapy intervention compared to other talk-based therapy groups and creative activities.
In research not yet published, we’re speaking with young people to better understand their experiences of art therapy, and why it might reduce distress. One young person accessing art therapy in an acute mental health service shared:
[Art therapy] is a way of sort of letting out your emotions in a way that doesn’t involve being judged […] It let me release a lot of stuff that was bottling up and stuff that I couldn’t explain through words.
A promising area
The burgeoning research showing the benefits of art therapy for both physical and especially mental health highlights the value of to .
There are opportunities to expand art therapy services in a range of health-care settings. Doing so would enable greater access to art therapy for people with a variety of physical and mental health conditions.
, Academic, Master of Art Therapy Program, and , Senior Lecturer, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,
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