1The Dax Centre, Melbourne, Australia.
Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2014 Mar;60(2):169-74. doi: 10.1177/0020764013476655. Epub 2013 Apr 30.
Exhibitions of art by people with experience of mental illness are increasingly being staged to improve awareness of mental health issues in the general community and to counter the stigma of mental illness. However, few exhibitions have incorporated research to ascertain their actual effectiveness.
This paper reports the results of a study that considered the responses of 10,000 people after they viewed exhibitions of art produced by people with experience of mental illness. These works were selected from the Cunningham Dax Collection, one of the world's most extensive collection of artworks by people with experience of mental illness and/or psychological trauma.
More than 90% of respondents agreed with three propositions that the exhibitions helped them: (1) gain a better understanding of mental illness; (2) gain a more sympathetic understanding of the suffering of people with mental illness; and (3) appreciate the ability and creativity of people with mental illness.
The results suggest that exhibitions can successfully promote mental health literacy and contribute to positive attitudes towards people with experience of mental illness. This paper explores these findings and raises questions about how the presentation of artworks in an exhibition influences their effectiveness in mental health promotion.
越来越多的精神疾病患者艺术展被举办，以提高公众对心理健康问题的认识，并消除对精神疾病的污名化。然而，很少有展览纳入研究以确定其实际效果。
本文报告了一项研究的结果，该研究考虑了 10000 人观看精神疾病患者创作的艺术作品展览后的反应。这些作品选自坎宁安·达克斯收藏，这是世界上收藏精神疾病患者和/或心理创伤患者的艺术作品最广泛的收藏之一。
超过 90%的受访者同意三个有助于他们的观点：（1）更好地了解精神疾病；（2）对精神疾病患者的痛苦有更同情的理解；（3）欣赏精神疾病患者的能力和创造力。
结果表明，展览可以成功地提高心理健康素养，并有助于对有精神疾病经历的人的积极态度。本文探讨了这些发现，并提出了关于展览中艺术品的呈现如何影响其在促进心理健康方面的有效性的问题。
