Therapeutic effects of art making in the psychosocial rehabilitation of people with mental disorders: systematic literature review

Abstract Creative activities have been used as therapeutic resource for people with mental disorders in Brazil and worldwide. There is a need to consolidate the body of evidence on the subject by incorporating qualitative data and the conceptual model of recovery. This paper presents a systematic review on the effects of art making as therapeutic resource in mental health. The databases PubMED, LILACS and SciELO were searched and studies on the subject that had qualitative approach and were published in English or Portuguese between 2000 and 2013 were selected. Benefits were evident in key aspects of the subjects' rehabilitation process, such as the relief of negative feelings, empowerment and social reintegration, which are fundamental principles of recovery. It was found that art has a significant therapeutic potential in the psychosocial rehabilitation of people with mental disorders and may represent a valuable resource in the current scenario of challenges to mental health care.