Fiction, poetry and mental health: expressive and therapeutic uses of literature

Abstract

People with experience as mental health clients, mental health nurses, writers and other professionals have used literature to benefit mental health service users in various ways. These include expressive writing, as well as applications in psychotherapy and counselling and to deal with specific problems and symptoms. In addition, therapeutic story-telling, bibliotherapy and poetry therapy have been used. Various benefits have been described, but some accounts do not include evidence of clinical effectiveness. However, positive treatment outcomes have been reported in research papers and other literature, with particular evidence of clinical effectiveness in some studies of bibliotherapy, therapeutic writing and poetry therapy. Further work is needed to clarify and measure the effectiveness of various expressive and therapeutic uses of literature. The authors also recommend collaboration among practitioners and the need for supporting evidence for proposals for increased resources in this field.

Use of Bibliotherapy in the Treatment of Grief and Loss: A Guide to Current Counseling Practices

“…Such books complement cognitive therapies, including therapeutic writing or journaling. These processes accelerate learning and increase treatment impact (Floyd, 2003;McArdle & Byrt, 2001). Another method involves the use of literature such as poems, short stories, and novels.…”

Library use by patients in an English maximum security hospital

“…13,14 Fiction is frequently recommended informally by library staff and shared with patients in reading groups along with poetry and play reading. The use of reading therapy could be developed with a more structured approach where clinicians working together with library staff and other health professionals introduce carefully selected material to aid the recovery of patients.…”

BlogWall: Social and Cultural Interaction for Children

“…It is also a wonderful way of expressing our inner thoughts. Studies have shown that poetry can be used very effectively to improve mental health [6]. Every one, in some manner, has a certain level of imagination and creativity to express himself in poetry.…”