Art in suicide treatment and prevention

The theme ‘suicide’ in paintings mirror social, cultural, religious, and philosophical stances to suicide. However, behind these more public aspects of the artist’s work there is often a personal meaning. The motives and interests of the artists go beyond the theme of suicide. An important factor in suicidal behaviour is a depressive mood or disorder. However, the depressive mood as well as the underlying manic-depressive illness of some artists may be seen as an important prerequisite for their creativity. Despite the importance of suicidality in art and that art therapy is well-established for treating patients in psychiatry and psychotherapy, only a small body of empirical literature about the role of art therapy in depressed and suicidal patients exists. In paintings and sculptures of art therapy, done by patients primarily reflect the inner experiences of their illness and biography. Art therapy can help the patient to alleviate self-destructive ways of acting.