Arts for the Blues: Towards integrating the use of the arts in healthcare and cultural settings to tackle depression and improve wellbeing in the NW

在这个项目中，我们将制定一个策略，使艺术的蓝调干预容易获得的成年人和儿童与抑郁症，情绪低落或焦虑作斗争。这种集体疗法利用视觉艺术、音乐、舞蹈、戏剧和创造性写作来解决心理问题，并加强管理这些问题的资源。鼓励参与者积极参与简单的艺术创作活动，并有明确的治疗意图。这些活动可包括：呼吸练习以控制焦虑，自由写作以支持自我表达;镜像任务以发展关系，使用物品分享困难的故事，参与有节奏的联系以解决孤立问题（www.artsfortheblues.com关于干预措施和相关视听材料的进一步详情，见www.example.com）。有证据表明，对于那些难以谈论自己的问题或正在寻求谈话疗法替代品的人来说，以艺术为基础的干预措施更容易获得，也更有吸引力。这可能包括来自不同背景的成年人和儿童，难民和移民社区，以及那些在孤独和孤立中挣扎的人。蓝调艺术干预最初是为了解决曼彻斯特市中心社区的心理健康问题而开发的，此后已在英格兰西北部的慈善机构和学校成功试点，该地区面临长期的健康不平等。以艺术为基础的小组的参与者表现出明显的心理结果，包括抑郁和焦虑评分较低，幸福感、生活功能和社会沟通得到改善。因此，在这个项目中，我们将提出这样一个问题：如何扩大蓝调艺术干预的规模，以便在医疗保健和文化组织中进行整合，以解决抑郁症并改善英格兰西北部社区的福祉？为了回答这个问题，我们将在三个活动中汇集艺术家、卫生专业人员、现有网络和伙伴关系，共同制定一项战略，使整个地区的干预措施随时可用。我们还将为至少一个医疗保健和一个文化组织提供研讨会，焦点小组和培训。在整个过程中，我们将与我们的患者和公众参与（PPI）小组合作，以确保我们的目标受益人有发言权。该小组目前包括使用心理服务的人谁参加了艺术的蓝调团体，并将扩大到包括PPI成员从项目合作伙伴。在方法上，我们将采用现实主义的评估方法，这将使我们能够制定一项可扩展、可持续、符合系统思维的战略，并承诺为该地区及其他地区长期存在的健康不平等提供解决方案。在项目的整个生命周期中，我们将制作一个在线工具包，其中包括案例和培训材料，一部包含主要发现和用户证词的电影，以及在不同环境中整合这种创造性治疗形式的计划。

In this project we will develop a strategy for making the Arts for the Blues intervention easily available to adults and children struggling with depression, low mood or anxiety. This group therapy uses visual arts, music, dance, drama and creative writing to address psychological difficulties and strengthen resources for managing them. Participants are encouraged to actively engage with simple arts-making activities with a clear therapeutic intent. These activities may include: breathing exercises to manage anxiety, free writing to support self-expression; mirroring tasks to develop relationships, use of objects to share difficult stories, engagement in rhythmical connections to address isolation (see www.artsfortheblues.com for further details on the intervention and relevant audio-visual material). Evidence suggests that arts-based interventions are more accessible and attractive for people who find it difficult to talk about their problems or who are seeking an alternative to talking therapies. This could include adults and children from diverse backgrounds, refugees and migrant communities, and those struggling with loneliness and isolation. The Arts for the Blues intervention was first developed to address mental health concerns in inner city neighbourhoods in Manchester and has since been successfully piloted in charities and schools in the North West of England, an area faced with long standing health inequalities. Participants in the arts-based groups showed marked psychological outcomes including lower scores of depression and anxiety and improved wellbeing, life functioning and social communication. In this project we will therefore ask the question: How can the Arts for the Blues intervention be scaled up for integration within healthcare and cultural organisations to tackle depression and improve wellbeing in communities across the North West of England?In order to answer this question, we will bring together artists, health professionals, existing networks and partnerships in three events in order to co-create a strategy for making the intervention readily available across the region. We will also offer workshops, focus groups and training to at least one healthcare and one cultural organisation. Throughout the process we will work alongside our Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) group to ensure our target beneficiaries have a voice. The group currently includes people using psychological services who have attended Arts for the Blues groups and will be expanded to include PPI members from project partners. Methodologically, we will adopt a realist evaluation approach which will allow us to develop a strategy that is scalable, sustainable, aligned with systems thinking and promises to offer solutions to long-standing health inequalities in the region and beyond.Over the lifetime of the project, we will produce an online toolkit to include case examples and training materials, a film with the main findings and user testimonies, and a plan for the integration of this creative form of therapy in different settings.