Culture & Mental Health
Author
EuroNews
Date
22 June 2023
Culture is increasingly being used to treat mental health issues in Europe. Here's how
Two decades’ worth of research and a pandemic have led to a boom in programmes using culture for its health benefits.A growing number of initiatives across Europe are using access to the arts as a tool to improve health and well-being alongside classic medical treatment. In the Danish town of Silkeborg, a group of new mothers who suffered from postpartum depression reported feeling closer to their newborns, calmer and more optimistic after taking part in weekly singing sessions designed to improve their mental health.
Similar results were also observed in groups also participating in the World Health Organisation's (WHO) Music for Motherhood project in four other cities in Italy and Romania.
Featured Project
Event
Music & Motherhood Meeting
WHO Europe and the Lab co-organized this full-day meeting at UN City in Copenhagen, highlighting a multi-country case study using music and singing to support new mothers experiencing postnatal depression.
Case Study
Music and Motherhood
A WHO-led implementation study built around group singing sessions specifically designed for mothers who experience postpartum depression (PPD). The project was conducted in 3 WHO/Europe Member States; Denmark, Italy and Romania; to determine the feasibility of implementing the intervention in different cultural contexts.
Research Project
Music and Motherhood
A project exploring cultural considerations for arts and health interventions. In particular, using group singing for postpartum depression, which has been successful in the UK, in new contexts in Denmark, Italy, and Romania.
Lead Researchers
Katey Warran, Calum Smith
Status
Completed
Lead institutions
UCL, WHO Europe
Type
Implementation study