Using visual art to reduce public stigmatization of people with mental disabilities

This study examined the effectiveness for reducing stigmatizing attitudes towards mental disability of presenting people who do not have a mental disability with paintings completed by individuals who do have a mental disability. Study participants were placed into one of four groups. Members of the first group were shown 12 paintings created by people with mental disabilities and then asked to complete a questionnaire exploring their attitudes regarding mental disability. Group 2 participants were shown the paintings, additionally spent one minute writing down their thoughts about what it must be like to have a mental disability, and completed the same questionnaire. People in group 3 also wrote down their thoughts about being mentally disabled and filled in the questionnaire, but without having seen the paintings. Group 4 was a control group comprising individuals who simply completed the questionnaire without either viewing the paintings or writing down their thoughts about mental disability.