Harnessing Art and Culture: Allies in Preventing Mental Disorders Among Youth in Public Schools
A new project by the Centro de Integração e Cidadania (CIC) Oeste, linked to the State Secretariat for Justice and Citizenship, in partnership with the Institute of Psychology (IP) at USP, seeks to bring preventive mental health actions to young people in public schools through of art and culture. Professor Leila Salomão Tardivo, coordinator of the Laboratory of Mental Health and Clinical Social Psychology at the Institute of Psychology, explains further the context and objectives of the project.
Alarming picture
According to data from Unicef, in Brazil, the suicide rate is highest in the age group between 15 and 24 years old. Fiocruz data also shows that, in the country, the number of young people who take their own lives grew by 6% per year between 2011 and 2022, with depression, anxiety and panic as the main causes. The incidence of self-harm also increased among youth, at a rate of 29% during the period observed.
We are experiencing a mental health pandemic. I mean, depression, anxiety, self-harm, panic. We cannot stand still in the face of this, treatment initiatives are fundamental”, argues the professor.
Role of culture and art
The Art, Culture and Mental Health in Schools project is preventive, not treatment. This means that the objective is to use culture and art as a way to strengthen the spirit, self-expression and well-being of young people in public schools, but some cases require active psychological support.
“Theatre, music and artistic manifestations profoundly promote expression, finding oneself, improving well-being and quality of life. If we can work on this dimension, we can avoid treatments at the other end, which are also necessary. We can deal with situations before something gets worse”, explains Leila.
Hatred among youth
The researcher says that the project also seeks to train teachers, directors and coordinators to use cultural and artistic expressive tools in the day-to-day activities of schools, so that the prevention of mental health problems occurs continuously. Another objective of the project is to allow youth in these public schools to also express their problems and needs and for researchers to understand the causes of the deterioration in the mental well-being of these adolescents. To give an example, teacher Leila tells of a meeting she held with students from public schools in CIC Oeste:
“We got there and there were 50 teenagers and four CIC teachers. It was a barbaric conversation! They asked questions, we answered.” The researcher then asked: “Draw for me the teenager in São Paulo today. The first little boy that came to me must have been around 14 or 15 years old. He shows me a figure and a huge word next to it: hate. The city hates him, the city doesn’t provide conditions for him, so he hates the city back. There is a lack of mental health for teenagers in São Paulo. In this sense, art, culture, theater are not like therapy in the strict sense, but they are an opening so that these boys can feel heard and welcomed”, concludes teacher Leila Tardivo.