Art therapy is a form and/or type of non-pharmacological therapy that has been proven to have positive effects on mental disorders, mainly decreasing the suffering of symptoms and reducing stress! A lot of disorders it helps mainly include depression, anxiety, autism, schizophrenia, dementia, cognitive impairments, and Alzheimer’s disease! Art therapy is extremely useful to help patients open up and share their own feelings, views, and experiences. It also assists in diagnosing mental disorders and diseases, which proves its potential in clinical application.

While, yes, pharmacological treatment–such as medication–is the first choice for illness and disorders to relieve and help with the main symptoms, many antipsychotics contribute to poor quality of life and debilitating adverse effects, which makes complimentary treatments like art therapy seem more plausible!

The overall goal of art therapy is to enable clients and people to change and grow on a personal level through use of creative and artistic materials and qualities in a safe environment. It allows communication and expression through creative actions when it isn’t easy for people to outright say their emotions or show them! It acts as a support beam, helping others stay stable and be able to grow on their own accord.

Art therapy partly comes from the belief of unspoken things, stemming from artistic expression. Every form of art is supposed to make an emotion come to light, whether it be simple emotions like anger, hatred, joy, happiness, and sadness, or it be more complex emotions such as condemnation, disdain, apathy, compassion, or freedom! That’s what makes it so helpful for patients, since it allows the ability to express emotions for those who are reluctant to express themselves in words.

It’s been proven to reduce things such as suicidal thoughts, thoughts of harming oneself, and other factors such as overthinking and fear. It allows others to see one’s feelings, and it also allows gentle help without striking fear or negative reactions in the patient.

While some forms of art therapy may not work well for some as they do for others, other forms are still available. What’s important is that the spotlight shines on a specific emotion. It may not help as much as medication does, but it will relieve suffering of mental disorders and allows for communication without words.