Indagine sulle attività espressive condotte nei Dipartimenti di Salute Mentale e delle Dipendenze in Regione Lombardia. I risultati

Background. Complex and reciprocal dialectic between art and psychiatry has always been the subject of investigation of many researchers. In recent decades the concept of“art-therapy” has been developed and reshaped in many different ways and has often been associated with various Anglo-Saxon expressions such as “creative art therapies” or “expressive therapies”. In the Lombardy Region, as in several other Italian regions, there is a historical tradition of using arts-therapies in mental health services but there is a lack of information on the qualifications of the personnel conducting them and on the operational and methodological modalities, as well as their application in rehabilitation programmes. In fact, among the aims assigned by Regione Lombardia to the GAT on the Arts there was precisely the realization of a questionnaire/interview that allowed to highlight the salient features of the art therapy activities in the different reality. Materials and methods. A survey was conducted in 2019 in the Lombardy Mental Health Dept. using a questionnaire, developed by the GAT Coordination Group, which investigated the typology of the expressive laboratory (headquarters, structure, frequency, users) the qualification, occupation and training of the holder, the methodology of team work and not least the use of evaluation tools. The data were analysed and compared by type of art-therapy (visual arts, music therapy, dance therapy, teatrotherapy) with application of Test χ2. Results. 208 files were collected, of which 185 are usable. The most widespread expressive technique is Art-therapy (50%) followed by Music therapy (21.6%), Dramatherapy (17.8%) and DanceMovementTherapy (10%). The techniques are mostly carried out in day centres (46%) but there are also experiences in SPDC. One third of the therapists declare a specific training with a certificate in School of Arts therapies at least three years, one third are exclusively artists, and about one third have double training. Only half of the therapists of expressive groups know in detail the aims of the patient rehabilitation project in the group and less than half have a preliminary interview before a new patient is placed in a group, and regularly compare with teams. There are no important differences between the four art setting. Critical datum is the “not accustomed” to the evaluation of structured outcome (less than 30% of participants in the Survey). Conclusions. The study shows the need to increase the“culture of outcome evaluation” with suitable tools by exporting it from the restricted research settings to bring it into the psychiatric services.