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This page is an AI-assisted Turkish summary of the study presented at the 26th World Congress of Psychiatry. The study belongs to the presenting authors; please refer to the original source when citing it.

EV0147

Healing through creativity: art therapy as an adjunctive treatment in schizophrenia and its impact on clinical and social outcomes

HEALING THROUGH CREATIVITY: ART THERAPY AS AN ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT IN SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ITS IMPACT ON CLINICAL AND SOCIAL OUTCOMES

Art therapy is an effective adjunctive intervention that, when added to antipsychotic treatment, improves negative symptoms and social functioning in particular.

The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of art therapy added to pharmacological treatment for schizophrenia in improving clinical symptoms and social functioning. The rationale was that, although antipsychotics are effective in treating positive symptoms, their effects on negative symptoms and social functioning remain limited. A literature-based approach was used, searching PubMed for studies examining art therapy in schizophrenia in terms of clinical symptoms and functional outcomes. The findings showed that art therapy significantly improved negative symptoms and social functioning, reduced social withdrawal, and increased spontaneity; subgroup analyses indicated that methods such as painting, drawing, and crafts were particularly effective. Longer treatment duration was associated with greater improvement, whereas the direct effects on hallucinations and delusions were more limited, primarily helping individuals cope with the distress associated with these symptoms. Greater improvements in negative symptoms and anxiety were reported among female participants. Improvements were also observed in attention, self-expression, emotional awareness, and personal agency, alongside increased cooperative behavior and communication in group settings, enhanced self-esteem, and higher participation and retention rates in psychiatric rehabilitation programs. In conclusion, the findings support incorporating art therapy into standard clinical practice, while larger-scale and longer-term studies are needed to strengthen the evidence base.

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