A Critique Paper : ‘’Art as a Treatment for issues on Mental Health’’

ABSTRACT

This Critical Paper entitled “Art as a Treatment for issues on Mental Health” focuses

on how Art helps those people who are experiencing mental illnesses like depression and
anxiety. We all know that we all experiencing different battles and struggles every day in
different ways. The researcher tries to investigate the question “Can Art help to heal the human
body?’’ and in this question, the researcher tries to deep dive into the benefits of Art in a
process of deep healing. The purpose of our study is to relate art and mental illness problems,
and how could Art give a solution to heal us----not just physically but mentally. We all know
that Arts encourage us to express our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and creativity. In that way,
it can build confidence as well as a sense of individual identity. In the midst of pandemic most
of us stay at home, and sometimes most of us overthink to what is happening in our
surrounding that leads most often to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts. This Critical
paper emphasizes the benefits of engaging in Arts, and how arts heal us through expressing
what’s inside of us. This Critical paper attempts to review the methodology of art therapy.
When not aiming at the overview of art therapy history, it presents art therapy's most pivotal
features, including its difference from art education, non-verbal communication, metaphoric
meaning and relationship-oriented character. This Critical Paper presents how “Art therapy”
helps to heal our mind and body to promote healing. In our investigation we found out that the
studies also found that art During treatment for cancer, activities such as participating in an art-
making session have been found to have benefits for both children and adults, including by
reducing adverse side-effects such as drowsiness, lack of appetite, shortness of breath and
nausea, reducing anxiety and distress, reducing the need for antiemetic’s (anti-sickness
medication), reducing fatigue, and feelings of depression and enhancing feelings of energy and
vitality.

INTRODUCTION

Mental health issues are one of the most sensitive issues not only in the
Philippines but around the world. Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual
realizes his or her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively, and
can make a contribution to his or her community.

The ''Art as a treatment for issues on Mental health" tries to relate to how art can
help those people who are experiencing mental health problems such as depression and
anxiety. We all know that Art can be therapy and used as a traditional mental health treatment
that aims to manage behaviors, process feelings, reduce stress and anxiety, and increase self-
esteem through self-discovery and creating art can help us to acknowledge and recognize
feelings that have been lurking in our subconscious.

Over the past decades, mental health professionals have tried to look for a way on
how arts might be used to heal and to cure mental illnesses that helps to increase
understanding of oneself and others, develop a capacity for self-reflection, reduce symptoms of
depression and alter behaviors and thinking patterns especially the mindset.

We choose the topic "Art as a treatment for mental health" because we believe that art
is helpful to express one's thoughts, emotions, and feelings. We wanted to investigate the
whole person relationship between art and mental health because this topic also awakens our
curiosity and it offers us some interesting thoughts and ways to deep dive into whether art can
be a useful therapy and more or less effective than others. We wanted to know whether the
impact of therapy can be healed or cure illnesses, especially to our mental being.

The key question that our critical paper was going to answer is "Can art heal the human
body?" We all know that healing takes time, and healing is a long process. We wanted to
emphasize that Art is healing because it forces us to forge a connection between our mind and
our body. Unlike exercise, which works our body, or meditation, which clears our mind, art-
making accesses both mind and body to promote healing. Art has a lot of benefits especially to
our well-being that helps to stimulate the creative mind while relieving mental strain. A low-
stress level leads to a happier, healthier lifestyle and helps improve overall mental health.

The objective and the goal of our critical paper was to better understand art and how art
is used as a treatment for issues on Mental health. We wanted to explore how art provides
creative, healthy ways to help youth decrease anxiety and worry, soothe, and regulate
emotions and behavior and how Art therapy can help strengthen a child's sense of self, self-
esteem, and overall awareness and discovery about identity and worth.

What does artwork tell us about the topic/ subject of the critical paper?

The artwork tells us about our topic " Art as a treatment for mental health" that
engaging in art can help us to improve our well-being. And helps our mind to stimulate many
thoughts that can express our own "creativity" that helps to improve mental health issues to be
healed and cured. We all know that people who experience mental health problems isolate
themselves and they are very silent when they are facing their own battles. They have no time
for talking and chit-chatting with others. And because they isolate themselves they put their
time and effort into their artwork that whatever lingers in their mind they express it with the
artwork they made because for them artworks can help them to be pure and true with their
thoughts and emotions. Artworks also help them to have creative minds that will express what
they truly feel and it is a way of releasing their stress in life. For those who battle with
depression and anxiety, it excites them to do arts also because through art they can build
connections that can cure loneliness and isolation. Making art enables a person to take
responsibility for their own health and as well as their well-being by maintaining levels of
independence and curiosity and improving the quality of life.
 What does the artwork say about the key question of the critical paper?

Our critical paper focuses on " healing through the use of art ". The key question that
our critical paper was going to answer is " Is art heals the human body?”. We all know that
healing takes, maybe it is our physical health or mental health, it both takes a long process to
be healed and it takes time to be fully recovered. In order for us to be fully okay and healed,
making art can help to calm our minds and help us to reflect in life. Art can make us free
whatever is heavy burdens in our hearts. It helps us to breathe and allow art to express our true
self, our true emotions, and our true identity. Art is a reflection of what is really inside of us.
The unseen and unheard part of us. Art helps us to slowly heal our wounds without being
aware of it even if it takes time for us to finally get well. Therefore, by creating art or anything
that is related to arts, we are slowly building connections and this connection is " you and the
art that you are creating". You create what your heart and mind speak. And this process helps
you feel better day by day. Instead of focusing on your problems, you tend to focus on your art.
Therefore, art can save us from drowning in a pool of destruction.

What is the question that the paper is asking?

In 1999, nearly two decades ago, the American Art Therapy Association (AATA)
(1999) issued a mission statement that outlined the organization's commitment to research,
defined the preferential topics for this research, and suggested future research directions in the
field. One year later, Reynolds et al. (2000) published a review of studies that addressed the
therapeutic effectiveness of art therapy. They included studies that differed in terms of
research quality and standards. In eight studies by different authors, there was a single group
with no control group; in four studies, there was a control group, but no randomization of the
participants between the experimental group and the control group; and in only five studies
was their randomization of the experimental group and the control group (RCT - Randomized
Control Trial). They concluded that there was a substantial need to expand research in the field
of art therapy to better determine the most appropriate interventions for different populations.
 Art therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports
personal and relational treatment goals, as well as community concerns. Art therapy is used to
improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate
emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and
distress, and advance societal and ecological change. A supportive group experience may
enable group members to identify with each other’s visual portrayals of difficult emotions
without immediately discussing them in-depth, as well as simply enjoy creativity and the
sensory stimulation of the art materials and colors, and through this shared activity gradually
build mutual support so that group members can pace their self-exploration and sharing. For
people who have been marginalized and excluded from mainstream society, on top of
damaging early experiences, this process may take time. To the extent that mutual appreciation
and enjoyment are expressed about the artistic creations, stigma can begin to be counteracted.
art as therapy would allow people who have had relatively little opportunity to talk about and
try to come to terms with early life trauma and prolonged stresses in their past and present life
to begin to express their unarticulated and complicated emotions through the relatively safe
medium of art.

What questions are being asked to elaborate /expand on the main question?

    The questions that try to elaborate or expand are, “Is art heal the human body?”. Our
main focus is that in the process of healing, Art plays an important role in healing the human body,
specifically the mind, unlike exercises and meditation. Art is much more helpful in healing all aspects of
the human body because it engages us to widen our creativity. Many studies have found that art
therapy reduces anxiety and depression because art enhanced mindfulness. Art has also been found to
reduce apathy and improve well-being and quality of life. Art activities have been found to have benefits
especially in social isolation, unwelcome behaviors, and helps to coping acceptance. Other arts activities,
such as pottery, dance, shared reading, and visual arts education, can also help to affirm identity, sense
of self, and self-esteem for individuals with dementia. Art also heals a lot of human diseases like
degenerative neurological disorders because arts can also support improvements in non-motor
impairments. The arts also have a positive effect on physical health and functioning. Multisensory arts
activities have been found to increase individuals’ abilities to carry out activities of daily living. The
studies also found that art During treatment for cancer, activities such as participating in an art-making
session have been found to have benefits for both children and adults, including by reducing adverse
side-effects such as drowsiness, lack of appetite, shortness of breath and nausea, reducing anxiety and
distress, reducing the need for antiemetic’s (anti-sickness medication), reducing fatigue, and feelings of
depression and enhancing feelings of energy and vitality. A large number of studies have also shown
benefits from regular art-making activities) and during treatments such as chemotherapy and stem cell
transplantation. The provision of arts activities within hospitals, such as regular live concerts, recorded
music, or recorded audio poetry, can also reduce anxiety and depression and promote hope for patients
with cancer. Arts and crafts can also support patients and their relatives with strategies to manage
cancer-related concerns that they can apply afterward in their daily lives.

How does the reading relate to other existing knowledge? What are the similar
thoughts/propositions/ findings? What are different?

The Connection Between Art as a Treatment for issues on Mental Health with the
creative arts and health outcomes, specifically the health effects of music engagement, visual
arts therapy, movement-based creative expression, and expressive writing. Although there is
evidence that art-based interventions are effective in reducing adverse physiological and
psychological outcomes, the extent to which these interventions enhance health status is
largely unknown. The connection between artistic engagement and the psychosocial and
biological manifestations of that connection. More specifically, there is evidence that
engagement with artistic activities, either as an observer of the creative efforts of others or as
an initiator of one’s creative efforts, can enhance one's moods, emotions, and other
psychological states as well as have a salient impact on important physiological parameters.
Engagement with creative activities has the potential to contribute toward reducing stress and
depression and can serve as a vehicle for alleviating the burden of chronic disease. Art and
Mental health have been at the center of human interest from the beginning of recorded
history. Despite that fact, and despite the invested effort and growth of knowledge and
understanding in each arena, it is interesting that we often still find ourselves struggling with
the “fundamentals” of art and health and their meaning in society. We make no attempt to
clarify or resolve these fundamental issues. Instead, our intent is to summarize current
knowledge about the connection between art as treatment and Mental Health, identify the
most compelling next steps for investigation, and generate further interest in researching the
complexities of art and health.

The difference Art therapy can be used as a complement to traditional mental health
treatment. The aim is to manage behaviors, process feelings, reduce stress and anxiety, and
increase self-esteem. Self-discovery: Creating art can help you acknowledge and recognize
feelings that have been lurking in your subconscious.

Is the paper relatable? Is there anything in the paper that speaks of your experience?

Yes. We agree that our Critique Paper entitled "Art as a treatment for issues on
Mental health " is relatable in our current situation today. We all know that amidst pandemic,
all of us are affected physically, emotionally, and mentally in every situation in our community,
surroundings, and even in our own house. On the critique paper, one of the problems that the
researchers need to find a solution is the people who had to experience depression. Many
people experience depressions because we are become affected by what negativity of our
surroundings and because of that we couldn’t focus on the things we need to do. We, as youth
always thinks of things we shouldn't be thinking. But despite this, we are learning to adjust to
the people who are around us, by listening to music, watching videos on the internet, and self-
meditate that helps to relieve depression, but the most important thing of all is to seek God by
praying. In that way, we can avoid thinking too much.
What are the preferred solutions to the issues/ presented that can either be found within the
paper or the student's own opinion?

The preferred solution to the issues of Mental illnesses that are found in the paper
is that making art helps us to express what’s inside and heavy burdens in our hearts. Art is
helpful to reduce depression and anxiety because it is linked to improving our memory,
creativity, and our thoughts. In that way, art can be a therapy because it provides an individual
who is feeling pressured or overwhelmed with an opportunity to slow down and explore the
issues that are occurring in their life. It provides them with a way to manage their behavior,
process feelings, and deeply think.

Art therapy can be very valuable in treating issues such as depression, anxiety,
post-traumatic stress disorder, and even some phobias. It is a great way to express our
emotions without words, process complex feelings, and find relief. Art can also offer an
evidence-based solution for promoting mental health. While practicing art we can easily
overcome mental health challenges slowly, which help us also prioritizing arts in our own lives
at home as well as in our education systems. Art, either creating it or viewing others' art, is used
to help people explore emotions, develop self-awareness, cope with stress, boost self-esteem,
and work on social skills.

Cite example artworks (painting, sculpture, movie, architecture) to prove your point)

“Crazy Art” was recently featured at the 2010 Santa Barbara

Film Festival. The film follows three people with schizophrenia
and their struggle with mental illness. While the three artists
have been plagued by schizophrenia from a young age and have
experienced life from unique perspectives, all of them find
comfort through creating art.

Crazy Art’ is a documentary, that explores how art

can be used by someone experiencing psychotic, depressive, and manic symptoms to reduce
and manage those symptoms. It also explores how, in the history of art, as with van Gogh,
creativity can reach brilliant heights when psychiatric symptoms are peaking, and how that
same creativity, when intensified, can itself increase madness. The role of art as a form of
distraction or meditation to tame the savagery of mental illness is discussed by the three
featured artists. The “identity journey” — from madman to Artist— forms a focus in seeing how
recovery can be constructed bit by bit.

Do you agree with the answer? Why or why not? -what are your reflections on the answer/s?

There is a broad range of both usage and definitions of creative activities within
occupational therapy, which often includes elements of creative art. These activities have been
especially prominent in stimulating creative processes and could positively influence an
individual’s health and wellbeing. The experience of being creative can occur in all daily
occupations, not only while performing activities that traditionally have been used in ‘Art as a
Treatment for issues on Mental Health’’ like drawing/painting, pottery, jewelry, drama, and
related activities. Creative activities in occupational therapy have been named in many ways,
and terms often used are; creative art, art therapy, creative activities, creative occupations,
creative craft, craft activities. Furthermore, the distinctions between the concepts mentioned
above become unclear due to varying perspectives and their use in research. This study aimed
to investigate and clarify the concept of Art as a treatment for issues on Mental Health, used as
an intervention, and to validate the findings of the concept of creative activities as an
intervention in occupational therapy practice.

When Art Treat people with a problem in Mental health they work with their bodies and
minds. This interaction generates a complex interaction of mind and body processes that
stimulates neurons on both sides of the brain, and the activities facilitate and spawn creativity
within the individuals during these processes. Art as a treatment, although the most commonly
used activities contained elements of arts and crafts etc. These were often classified according
to the material from which they originated, for example, paint-based (e.g. painting, drawing),
fabric-based (e.g. sewing, patchwork, knitting), paper-based (e.g. collage, photography), clay-
based (e.g. pottery) drama/music-based (e.g. theatre, dance), wood-based (wooden figures,
furniture).
 Art as a Treatment in Mental Health issues is that they are experienced as being
meaningful on several levels (e.g. it may become an occupation, structuring time, and/or media
for expression of feelings and the end-product could be tangible evidence of success). Art as a
treatment was described as an important source for generating meaning since it is an innate
human need to make and create. Creative activities are valued activities in ‘one’s culture’ in
society, which contribute to the meaning-making processes among people who have mental
health issues, and which in turn were also described as being therapeutic. The generation of
meaning in creating also entails the artwork itself and it entails being able to create a tangible
piece of work that gives a feeling of making connections and being able to contribute and
participate in society. The fact that creative activities are popular and valued activities in society
may also give the person an experience of being a part of this community and thus a sense of
meaning in terms of belonging. A facilitating environment that provided balanced challenges,
clear expectations, and consistent and positive feedback for clients created a safe, generous,
receptive base for the intervention to be perceived as therapeutic and meaningful.

Creative activities used as intervention enhance creative processes, inherent

experiences, and opportunities for self-expression and reflection. Art as a Treatment for issues
in Mental Health entailed the use of types of activities that evoke, enhance and create creative
processes in individuals. These interventions can establish a sense of being in a flow where the
challenges and individual resources are perceived as being in balance. Furthermore, the
experiences of time and space could change during the activities. Art is particularly useful as a
vehicle for facilitating inherent experiences such as joy, play, positive emotions, a respite from
illness and worries, and physical relaxation. These interventions can, on a cognitive level,
generate focus, motivation, intense concentration, and increased energy. Art as a Treatment for
issues in Mental Health was described as providing opportunities for the clients to experiment
with, invent and use their imagination outside of normal patterns. The interventions often
contain non-verbal communication within and have the potential for individual expression and
transformative processes to generate novel or alternative ways for experiencing reality. Thus,
the provision of the opportunity for self-expression, reflection, and a better understanding of
one’s feelings and a sense of self-identity is used as means to adjust and endure when life is
challenging. The enhanced ability to think in new patterns, generated by Art, could be used to
cope with challenges, both in the present and future life.

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 -End of Review-

ART APPRECIATION
SATURDAY (10:30AM – 01-30PM)
SUBMMITED BY:
BORJA, MA. SOFIA MADELINE N.
DELIZO, LOREINE M.
MANJARES, GISSELE G.
MANTE, NEŇA MARIE
MODRIGO, JUMAR
QUIŇONES, PRINCESS YNA AYALA

SUBMMITED TO:
PROF. ABALOS, KAR CHRISTIAN D.