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Art therapy’s research progress in depression: a literature review
- 1 Faculty of Science, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Depression seriously affects the overall well-being of patients, and it causes great suffering and pain. Around 5 to 10 percent of the population globally experience depression. Within this population, the prevalence of depression in women is approximately 1.5 to 2 times higher than men and about 50% of older adults above 65 years old suffer from depression than young adults. A creative form of psychotherapy — art therapy, specifically drawing and painting therapy, allows depressive patients to gain insights about their feelings, promoting healing in a harmless way. This article reviewed the benefits of art therapy in treating depressive patients based on past research. The review divides the patients into different age groups and sexes: elderly, children, adults, male, and female. It indicates that art therapy can be performed successfully across different age groups and sexes, bringing varieties of personalized benefits, especially for children, women, and elders. Some common benefits include increased self-esteem, change of perspective, and growth in mentalities.
Keywords
Art therapy, depression, drawing, painting.
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Cite this article
Zheng,J. (2024). Art therapy’s research progress in depression: a literature review. Theoretical and Natural Science,63,15-20.
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