In today’s world, mental illness and distress are common and these account for a significant burden of disability within our community. At the same time, there is a growing interest in understanding and enhancing positive mental health and wellbeing; particularly from developments in the fields of positive psychology and mental health promotion. Positive Psychiatry is a new term (Jeste et al 2016) that describes a dual approach to mental health, where we build strengths, supports and healthy lifestyles as well as treating illness and distress. In this course, we will explore different aspects of good mental health as well as provide an overview of the major kinds of mental disorders, their causes, treatments and how to seek help and support. The course will feature a large number of Australian experts in psychiatry, psychology and mental health research, and we will also hear from “lived experience experts”, people who have lived with mental illness, and share their personal stories of recovery. We take an evidence-based approach to a range of strategies that anyone can use to enhance their own mental health and that of others, from exercise and relaxation techniques through to the role of love, relationships and 'good' types of work. We cover topics from creativity and yoga through to psychiatric medications and psychotherapies.
Creativity
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From the course by The University of Sydney
Positive Psychiatry and Mental Health
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From the lesson
Module 5 - Paths to Recovery
In this module, we will detail some of the many paths to recovery. From early intervention through the philosophy of personal recovery, consumer support networks, creative arts as therapy as well as spiritual and religious practices.
Meet the Instructors
Sonia KumarPsychiatry Course Coordinator
Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney
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So, what does creativity have to do with mental health?
In this section, we'll discuss the connections between creativity and mental
illness, and how creative activities can be used to enhance mental health.
The two following videos will discuss the specific benefits of music for
mental health, and we'll also have an interview with an art therapist.
Creativity is defined as the act of producing something new,
that's both original and valuable.
It is being described as the active principle of life, and
is essential to the development of human civilization.
Nancy Andreasen is one of the most prominent researchers on creativity and
mental illness.
According to Andreasen, the capacity to develop original or novel ideas,
or to produce novel, beautiful, and useful artifacts is
perhaps the most important cognitive trait that human beings possess.
Andreasen's research has also showed that the creative process depends heavily
on intuition and flashes of insight, rather than logic or analytical thinking.
It involves developing multiple associations between different ideas, and
arises from the unconscious.
During periods of rest, when the brain is not actively thinking about a problem,
the areas called association cortices are actually very active.
This is the unconscious process of incubation, which leads to inspiration.
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The links between creativity and mental illness have fascinated many people for
centuries.
Studies have shown that there's an increased rate of mental
illness among people in creative occupations.
In a large population study of over a million people, authors were found to be
more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia or
bipolar disorder than the general population.
They also had increased likelihood of having depression, addictions,
and suicide.
Andreasen's research also showed an increase rate
of mood disorders in writers.
Creativity can be thought of as a silver lining, or
a positive aspect of mental illness.
People with bipolar disorder have particularly been
found to have increased creativity.
Certain types of creative thought patterns are more
common in people with schizophrenia, or their relatives.
Creative people use what's called a divergent thinking style, which means,
they are more able to see many different answers to a problem.
This means, they're more likely to think of new links between different ideas, but
may find it hard to screen out irrelevant ideas, and may become easily distracted.
They also tend to be more open to new experiences and
rely on intuition or gut feelings more.
Recent research into the arts industries in Australia
has found high rates of mental disorders, and suicide across performing artists, and
support workers in all industries.
Some of the problems identified were long working hours, often working in isolation,
or in adverse environments, financial poverty, and lack of recognition.
Developing and using creativity can have many positive benefits.
Creative arts therapies are recognized forms of psychotherapy,
using artistic practices with a trained therapist.
These include music, visual arts, dance, drama and writing therapies.
Art therapy was originally influenced by the theories of Sigmund Freud and
Carl Jung, and was often used in the asylum era.
It is based on the idea, that a person's inner life is largely constructed with
symbols and images, that help express what is difficult to articulate in words.
There's emerging research evidence for the benefits of creative arts therapies.
Music therapy has the largest evidence base, and will be discussed separately.
Engaging with creative arts outside of a formal therapy can also have a positive
impact on mental health.
Creative arts can provide a vehicle for expressing emotions.
According to psychological theory, experiencing and
expressing a full range of emotions can lead to better psychological health.
Collaborative activities such as singing in a choir,
also lead to social connections.
They allow for
focused attention in the present moment that can be seen as a form of mindfulness.
Expressive writing is a technique of therapeutic writing about highly
emotional or traumatic events.
This has been found to lead to improvements in physical and
mental health, with some studies finding improvements in depression and
post traumatic stress disorder.
Creativity can be thought of as a process of personal transformation.
Taking difficult experiences and turning them into objects of beauty or value.
This is especially true for people in artistic occupations,
who may have increased rates of psychological troubles, but
actually use creativity to turn lead into gold, and create the beautiful or sublime.
Some researchers have also studied everyday creativity,
which refers to lifestyle and self-expression.
For many people, the creative lifestyle can include an infinite
variety of activities including cooking, gardening, home decoration, hobbies,
making gifts or cultural participation.
If you're interested in exploring creativity,
we have a number of suggestions.
Individual creative practice can involve any of the activities mentioned above.
Choose an activity you enjoy to notice the benefits of expression, relaxation and
mindfulness.
Joining a group practice, such as an art or
music group, can further enhance creativity through collaboration,
as well as lead to social connections and benefit other people.
Free writing is a technique often used by teachers to help their students
release emotional blockages, and increase creativity.
It involves writing continuously and without censoring for
a set period of time.
Expressive writing is a technique of writing about highly emotional or
traumatic events, again, for a set period.
This leads to improvements in physical and mental health.
Structured problem solving is a technique often used in psychotherapy for anxiety or
depression.
This uses brainstorming, a type of creative thought to come up with
many different solutions to an existing problem.
Instructions for free writing, expressive writing, and
structured problem solving are given in the resources section.
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