| Creating art is one way to combat mental illness | | | | suicidal teenagers, and results showed that it indeed |
| and many people have actually found it to work for | | | | has positive effect as part of an overall treatment |
| them. Over the last few years, the practice of art | | | | plan. Guilt, worthlessness, and hopelessness are all |
| therapy has grown so much that it is now even used | | | | emotions that can cause depression, and the creative |
| as a therapy for cancer patients. More and more | | | | process of art therapy can help a child or teenager |
| doctors are now seeing the benefits of using art | | | | cope with these emotions. |
| therapy as a way to administer alternative | | | | At a public school in Chicago, a non-profit organization |
| treatments for depression. | | | | conducts art therapy as a means of self-expression |
| It was generally thought that children could not | | | | and self-discovery. Most of the children in that school |
| become depressed. Now, researchers recognize that | | | | live in poor communities or come from |
| children, like everyone else, are not immune to this | | | | dysfunctional families. The art therapy works to |
| emotionally-drained condition. Because children often | | | | increase concentration levels, self-esteem, and |
| do not have the capacity to step back, look at | | | | self-control. It also helps teenagers to enhance their |
| themselves, and recognize that the way they're | | | | interpersonal skills and defuse angry feelings. |
| feeling isn't normal for them --- they are not able to | | | | In Thailand, a group runs art therapy camps |
| communicate their feelings accurately enough for | | | | throughout the year for children living with HIV, |
| adults to realize that they are depressed. | | | | bringing them together to learn from and support |
| Depression has been defined by some as anger | | | | each other and overcome feelings of depression, |
| turned inward. It is very common among young | | | | stress and anxiety. There is an estimated 20,000 |
| people and affects as many as one in eight | | | | children under the age of 18 living with HIV in |
| teenagers. Depression affects people of every color, | | | | Thailand. Like the public school in Chicago, these art |
| race, economic status, or age. However, it does | | | | activities help to build their self-esteem, restore their |
| seem to affect more females than males during | | | | confidence and teach them that they have as much |
| adolescence and adulthood. According to the | | | | worth as any other child. |
| American Psychiatric Association, five percent of the | | | | Art therapy provides children experiencing depression |
| nation's children are ill with depression. In spite of the | | | | an opportunity to achieve personal growth through |
| alarming rise in depression among young people, | | | | improved self- awareness, and to explore unresolved |
| many parents and adults are still clueless about the | | | | emotional conflicts. Art as an expressive language, |
| treatments that can work best to address | | | | provides an access into a relationship with children by |
| depression. Moreover, diagnosis and treatment of | | | | tapping into their creativity and offering a form of |
| depression is more difficult for children than for adults. | | | | communication that is nonthreatening as well as |
| It is therefore very helpful to provide a safe outlet | | | | provide healing mechanisms to cope themselves with |
| for a child that is experiencing depression. Research | | | | depression. It can bypass language and impairment |
| shows that children with depression when they are | | | | and allow for the expression of thoughts or feelings |
| allowed to express their anxieties through art | | | | from children who find it too difficult to communicate |
| therapy. In one study, art therapy was used to help | | | | with words. |