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SINGAPORE: It has been said that art heals the heart and soul, and literally so for mental patients who have benefited from art therapy.
Paintings by some of the patients from Mount Elizabeth-Charter Behavioural Health Services, Institute of Mental Health and Singapore Association for Mental Health are now on display at an exhibition to mark World Mental Health Day, which falls on next Tuesday.
Paintings by some 20 mental patients helps them track the unspeakable confusion and struggle they went through.
When the emotional pain of her mental illness got too much to bear, one patient slashed herself to cut out her psychological distress.
For another patient being treated for psychosis and paranoia, stitching helps take her mind away from the perceived chaos around her.
Psychiatrists say art therapy not only helps patients make sense of their illnesses, it also instils hope for recovery, and helps patients discover their personal strengths.
"Many people cannot verbalise, talk about their problems so well especially in the Asian context. But with art, they can actually express their problems on pictures," said Dr Tan Chue Tin, Psychiatrist, Mount Elizabeth-Charter Behavioural Health Services.
Dr Tan believes that the process of putting something on picture allows the patients to see their problems instead of thinking of their problems, which is the basis of art therapy.
The visualisation of the problems can reveal things that even the patients are not aware of, and at the same time allows doctors, counsellors and nurses to go into the patient's mind.
One way for doctors to know if their patients are getting better is when the pictures contain bright colours which reflect their hope for recovery.
"New Horizons" is on exhibition at Mount Elizabeth Hospital's lift lobby (on Level Two) till the end of October. - CNA /dt
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