The role of art education in psychiatric care for patients with depression

Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) severely impairs patients' cognitive function and social interaction abilities. While traditional pharmacotherapy alleviates biological symptoms, patients' psychological resilience and social functional recovery often lag behind. Based on the biopsychosocial medical model, art therapy has gained increasing prominence in psychiatric care. However, quantitative research on systematic art education programs within inpatient settings remains limited. This study aims to investigate the impact of integrating structured art education into routine care on clinical symptoms and social functioning among patients with depression. By conducting comparative analyses, it evaluates the program's value in improving treatment adherence and quality of life, providing evidence for developing a diversified psychiatric rehabilitation care system. Methods The study enrolled 80 patients hospitalized for depression in a psychiatric ward. Inclusion criteria: Meets the diagnostic criteria for depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5); Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (17-item) (HAMD-17) score ≥ 17.Exclusion criteria: Patients with severe organic diseases or significant cognitive impairment. Patients were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 40) and an observation group (n = 40) using a random number table. The control group received routine psychiatric medication and basic nursing care, including health education and safety management. The observation group additionally underwent an 8-week art education intervention, comprising: (1) Color-based emotional expression (Weeks 1-2); (2) Mandala drawing for stress reduction (Weeks 3-5); (3) Clay modeling and collaborative painting (Weeks 6-8). Sessions occurred three times weekly for 60 minutes each. Outcomes measured included HAMD-17 scores and the Social Disability Screening Schedule (SDSS). Results: After the 8-week intervention, both groups showed varying degrees of improvement, but the observation group demonstrated significantly greater improvement than the control group. Regarding depressive symptoms, the post-intervention HAMD-17 score in the observation group was 11.2 ± 3.1, significantly lower than the control group's 15.8 ± 3.5 (p.01), as detailed in Table 1. The data indicate that art education can effectively assist in reducing patients' depression levels. Regarding social functioning, the observation group's SDSS total score and social withdrawal factor score were significantly lower than those of the control group, suggesting that patients participating in art education showed markedly increased compliance with nursing care and frequency of interpersonal interactions within the ward. Discussion This study confirms that art education plays a significant synergistic role in psychiatric care for patients with depression. Its clinical significance lies in establishing a new bridge for nurse–patient communication through low-cost, highly acceptable artistic media, effectively enhancing treatment adherence. Such humanistic care approaches can be promoted in subsequent psychiatric nursing. Future research should expand sample sizes and extend follow-up periods to evaluate the long-term efficacy of this intervention model in preventing depression relapse and its health economic benefits.