An investigation into the effectiveness of the arts therapies for adults with continuing mental health problems

Abstract

Arts therapies treatments offer patients therapy through primarily nonverbal means (i.e., art forms such as music, art, drama, and dance movement). They are particularly effective when normal communication is absent or has broken down. This study used a randomized control design and involved a treatment (n=10) and a control (n=15) group. Treatment was one of four arts therapies delivered in group or individual format. The authors used four separate questionnaires, administered over a 6-month period, to measure effectiveness. There was also a qualitative interview at the end of that period for the treatment group patients. The numerical results were not conclusive owing to high variability and small sample size, but the qualitative data reveal interesting facets of the process (e.g., that the therapists’ and patients’ perceptions of the treatment coincided in all treatment cases).