Art therapy and Suicide Prevention. A literature review on the main contributions of Art Therapy in the Prevention of suicide in adolescents

Abstract

This article aims to analyze, through a bibliographic review, the contributions that Art Therapy has made in the field of suicide prevention with the adolescent population in recent decades and its effectiveness as a single intervention or as a complement to other therapies.. Given the growing number of suicidal behaviors that organizations such as the WHO (2019) register in the adolescent population, it is considered appropriate to carry out this study in order to provide a secondary bibliographic source that is useful in future actions aimed at intervening at the three levels prevention. In an investigation not without difficulties, such as the number of records found or the heterogeneity in the types of intervention, limiting in the establishment of conclusive conclusions, it is observed that the investigations highlight the role of Art therapy as a facilitator of the increase of self-esteem, Its benefits stand out in the depth that is achieved in communication with adolescents, the reduction of negative emotions such as hopelessness and anxiety, the improvement in intrapersonal skills (such as decision-making) and interpersonal skills (such as conflict resolution) and even the reduction of hospitalization time for patients under treatment.