Treating Depression Through Art Therapy

What Is Art Therapy? 

Art therapy is a type of mental health practice that uses the creative process of artmaking to help you improve your mental, emotional and physical well-being.  

Art therapy can take many forms, including:  

• Drawing or painting 

• Sculpting or collage 

• Photography or digital media 

• Journaling or mixed media projects 

Creative arts therapy is commonly included in treatment plans alongside talk therapy, especially if your symptoms make it difficult for you to converse, at least initially, about how you’re feeling. And it’s proven to be an effective, therapeutic medium to treat depression. A Boston University report cites nine studies that found art therapy was successful in curbing depression in six, or two-thirds, of participants. 

Contrary to myths, you don’t need to be artistic to benefit from art as therapy. The process of creating something inherently personal to you, not the finished product, is what counts most. Although you may have never tapped into your artistic talents, you have them within you. (“Everyone is creative — and we all remember making art as children,” notes the AATA.) 

British artist Adrian Hill is credited with coining the term “art therapy” in 1942. While recovering in a hospital from a bout of tuberculosis, Hill believed that his drawings and sketches of objects and scenes were ultimately integral to his healing. Since then, clinicians in the mental health field have continually recognized and championed creative arts therapy as a conduit for communicating emotions they can’t easily or readily verbalize. 

If you begin taking art therapy for depression, your art therapist will have a Masters-level of higher degree in both psychology and using art to treat mental health challenges. The AATA notes that art therapists should be licensed and credentialed with the letters ATR (art therapist registered) or ATR-BC (board-certified art therapist registered).   

Each of Aliya Mental Health’s art therapists meet these clinical standards and remain investing in you reaching your healing and recovery potential through the power of art. 

Art Therapy for Depression 

Think about what each painting, sculpture or installation at an art gallery has in common. The artist gave voice to their internal reality, projecting their feelings onto a canvas or carved into a sculpture, a universal language of expressiveness without words.  

Depression art operates on the same principle. It can help to formulate intangible or indescribable emotions into something that stands on its own as a unique, beautifully crafted work of art — an extension of you, your heart and soul. But it also opens up a way to have that therapeutic conversation with your therapist; something that can be explored, analyzed and interpreted to begin finding the underlying reasons for your depression.  

Picture how it might work. Your therapy session might take place in the mental health facility’s art studio. You’ll sit down in front of a blank canvas, brush and paint at your side. Your therapist might simply ask, “Paint what you feel.” This might sound abstract at first, but the instruction is an invitation to simply begin depression paintings, without any pressures or rules. During a session, you’ll also have different art therapy books for reference or ideas on where to start. 

Create at Your Own Pace

You’re also not expected to finish your work right away; in between sessions, you might become inspired by something you’ve felt or seen that you can integrate on the canvas for drawing depression. The colors you’re drawn to, the pressure of your brushstrokes or the images that emerge — planned or unplanned — all become part of the therapeutic conversation and a chance to discover parts of yourself that may have remained hidden.   

Once your work nears completion, your therapist won’t critique the work. Rather, they’ll use it as a guide. They may ask questions like, “Tell me about the colors you chose here,” or “What were some of the things you were feeling when you created this?”  

How Can Art Therapy Treat Depression? 

Art therapy can benefit anyone, of any age, gender, race, background, orientation, lifestyle or mindset. “Art therapy is used to reduce conflicts and distress, improve cognitive functions, foster self-esteem and build emotional resilience and social skills,” notes Psychiatry.org, citing the AATA.  

Here are some other ways art therapy can help with depression:  

It can help reignite your interest in activities. One of the unfortunate outcomes of depression is a loss of interest in things you once enjoyed — even activities you were once passionate about. Art for depression helps to re-engage those senses and feelings that depression can rob you of. The simple act of creating something tangible and undeniably yours — and placing that final watermark confirming you as the artist — conveys a sense of accomplishment and purpose that might have gone missing. 

It activates positive neurochemicals and redirects thoughts. A negative mindset is part of the depressive cycle, where ruminating and fatalistic thinking can originate. The focus required to draw depression, paint, journal or sculpt gives your mind a much-needed break, but also guides your mind into a more positive direction, igniting brain chemicals involved in the artistic process (like activating the brain’s reward centers and lowering cortisol).  

It channels the internal to the external. Internalized feelings that come with depression — whether it’s hopelessness, worthlessness, guilt, shame or being beside oneself with sadness — can be hard to elucidate even for people comfortable with verbal expression. Even if your art is abstract, it gives a visual, externalized representation to those feelings. With the help of your therapist, you can begin to start putting them into words that can later segue into talk therapy. 

It fosters self-esteem and skill building. A feeling of low self-worth is another symptom of depression, but it doesn’t reflect your true value. Creating art can work to reverse this as you take the steps to start rebuilding and reaffirming confidence in yourself. And watching something take shape through your own hands connects you with a new talent that you can always keep pursuing and mastering for the rest of your life as a form of self-therapy.  

The ultimate goal of depression art is a bridge to understanding yourself better and how you can rise above your depression. You deserve happiness and wellness, and by processing your emotions in an artistic space, you build a practical toolkit of coping strategies.   

Aliya Mental Health offers art therapy in different forms side-by-side with other cognitive treatments, like talk therapy, offering multiple ways to address and recover from mental health issues.