Self portraits and eating disorders

Women who suffer from anorexia and bulimia draw themselves differently from other women. Researchers from the University of Haifa in Israel studied 76 women. 36 had been diagnosed with anorexia or bulimia, 20 had no eating disorders but were overweight and 20 were normal weight. The women with eating disorders drew themselves either with a lager neck, a disconnected neck or no neck at all, they emphasized the mouth more and drew themselves with wider thighs. They also drew themselves either without feet or with disconnected feet. Compared to the women with bulimia the women with anorexia tended to omit breasts from their drawings, draw less defined body lines and draw smaller figures relative to the size of the page.

Hospital art - is it really a waste of money?

In times of budget cutbacks hospital art is often the first thing to go, however, a new piece of research suggests that this might be a false economy. Upali Nanda from American Art Resources in Houston led a study based in a lounge for psychiatric patients in a hospital in East Alabama. On different days either a picture of nature or a landscape; a piece of abstract art or no art at all was hung up in the lounge. The researchers then noted how much medication was prescribed on a pro re nata (PRN) (over and above patients' normal prescriptions) basis to deal with patients who had become agitated or anxious. The study found that there was a significant reduction in PRN medication on the days when natural and landscape art was hung in the lounge although some abstract art was found to make patients more agitated. The reduction in PRN medication was found to be around $30,000 per annum - more than enough to buy a few halfway-decent prints for the lounge.

Nanda, U. ... [et al] - Effect of visual art on patient anxiety and agitation in a mental health facility and implications for the business case Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2850.2010.01682.x

Art therapy, anxiety and asthma

Children with asthma can often also suffer from anxiety; something that tends to make their condition worse. Anya Beebe, an art therapist at the National Jewish Health in Denver led a study into whether art therapy could help children with asthma feel less anxious. The study involved 22 children between the ages of 7 and 14 with persistent asthma. 11 of them received art therapy and the rest received 'care as usual.'The children were tested using several standardized measures for coping skills, anxiety, worry, self-concept, and quality of life before the first therapy session, at the end of the last session and six months later. At the end of seven weeks, the art therapy group had lower anxiety and higher quality-of-life and self-concept scores than the group that didn't have art therapy. The improvements persisted, although they were not as pronounced, six months later.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE64K5MZ20100521?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Community arts projects help mental health

Community arts projects can increase people's sense of psychological well-being and help reduce levels of anxiety and depression. Dr Asiya Siddiquee from Manchester Metropolitan University studied six projects based in the North-West of England which involved a diverse range of activities such as creative writing, photography and dance. She studied 96 people who had taken part in the projects and found they had had a significant increase in their mental health with less anxiety and depression. The participants felt more in control of their lives, more independent and had a greater sense of purpose.

You can find out more about this research at

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/185411.php