Argumentative Essay On Art Therapy

For adults with Alzheimer's, art therapy is a extremely beneficial option of treatment. According to Dr. Ridenour of the American Medical Association, art programs provide experiences that counter stress and humanize environments. Interactions between patients and artists provide positive distractions and lend social support in environments that may otherwise seem isolating and frightening. They create an environment that seems more common while still allowing the therapist an insight into the mind of the patient. For example, a mid stage Alzheimer's patient cannot deal with problems with behavior. However, these same patients are able to drop their problems in the art therapy situations as they are distracted in the task of painting, dancing,

Many people express themselves through art and the case is similar even for those suffering from major personality disorders such as bipolar disorder. Dr. Maheswari, a psychologist in India, collaborated with many other psychologists to help her patients and conduct a study on the effectiveness of art therapy on personality disorders. In one particular case, the patient was an elderly woman in her seventies that had a long history of bipolar disorder who was admitted for aggressive behavior and nonadherence to medications. Clearly the medications were not working as she refused to take them. Using the content of the patient’s drawings which included religion, sex, and more, the therapist was able to speak to the patient of her issues that lined her thoughts. It provided insight into her mind. In the subsequent weeks, her pictures grew lighter with less aggressive brush strokes. While it helps bring forth issues discussed, it is also helpful in that it effectively engages patients and allows the release of emotional tension in a safe and harmless manner. This allows relaxation, improved mood, and reduction in painful and troubled emotions without even needing to discuss these issues. Art therapy has proved useful for patients who have PTSD, anxiety, and depression on its own. It can serve as a means communication for patients who have

Depression is the most common mental illness with an estimated 350 million people worldwide suffering cases of chronic depression. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, nearly 18% of the adult population suffers from clinically diagnosed chronic depression. With so many people able to receive prescriptions for antidepressants claiming a cure all, it's no surprise that antidepressant drugs make a pretty penny. Research of the effectiveness of antidepressants and other psychopharmaceuticals drugs always exists, before and after releasing them to the public. How could tests not take place for medicines that alter both mind and personality? Many advocates for medication claim that antidepressants are far more effective than psychotherapy, especially in those people that suffered chronic depression. They argue that medication is necessary to increase positive hormones in the mind such as serotonin, dopamine, and ghrelin which are required to ‘be happy’. They assert that the medication accounts for these imbalances and provides the hormones necessary for happiness to decrease chronic depression. In the collaboration between professors and doctors at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University of Medicine, studies found that antidepressants worked, to a small extent, better on those suffering depression without childhood trauma.The average for