Date of Award
Spring 5-2015
Document Type
Master's Project
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
EVMS School of Health Professions
Program/Concentration
Art Therapy and Counseling
Abstract
People with disorders on the schizophrenia spectrum require treatment and care which are often needed for the duration of that person's life. While medication and traditional therapy are somewhat effective, some symptoms of the disorder often remain. In addition, there are often difficulties in the treatment of this population, which include non-compliance, lack of insight about the disorder and treatment, and distrust of the therapist. Research suggests that art therapy is somewhat effective in the treatment of some of the symptoms of disorders on the schizophrenia spectrum such as low sense of self, the effect of negative stigma, negative symptoms, social withdrawal and lowered communication, and problems reality-testing. However, research tends to dehumanize the subjects of these studies. In contrast, case reports emphasize the uniqueness of individuals and go into more detail than most research. This case report covers the art therapy treatment of an individual at a state hospital. This person, given the pseudonym “Michael,” was a 35 year-old Caucasian male who was found Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity for the offense of Arson of an Occupied Dwelling. Michael received individual art therapy once a week for a 15 week period. He had persistent hallucinations and delusions throughout the course of his treatment and displayed some amount of paranoia and distrust. Art therapy provided Michael with the opportunity to make choices in art making and he was able to remain passionate about his artwork throughout the course of his art therapy treatment.
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Recommended Citation
Cheslak, Caroline. "Art Therapy with a Patient with Schizoaffective Disorder" (2015). Master of Science (MS), Master's Project, EVMS School of Health Professions, Old Dominion University, https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/evmshealthprofessions_masters_papers/8