Literature and art therapy in post-stroke psychological disorders.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and long-term disability worldwide, and post-stroke depression (PSD) is a common and serious psychiatric complication of stroke. PSD makes patients have more severe deficits in activities of daily living, a worse functional outcome, more severe cognitive deficits and increased mortality as compared to stroke patients without depression. Therefore, to reduce or prevent mental problems of stroke patients, psychological treatment should be recommended. Literature and art therapy are highly effective psychological treatment for stroke patients. Literature therapy divided into poetry and story therapy is an assistive tool that treats neurosis as well as emotional or behavioral disorders. Poetry can add impression to the lethargic life of a patient with PSD, thereby acting as a natural treatment. Story therapy can change the gloomy psychological state of patients into a bright and healthy story, and therefore can help stroke patients to overcome their emotional disabilities. Art therapy is one form of psychological therapy that can treat depression and anxiety in stroke patients. Stroke patients can express their internal conflicts, emotions, and psychological status through art works or processes and it would be a healing process of mental problems. Music therapy can relieve the suppressed emotions of patients and add vitality to the body, while giving them the energy to share their feelings with others. In conclusion, literature and art therapy can identify the emotional status of patients and serve as a useful auxiliary tool to help stroke patients in their rehabilitation process.

Elderly health and literature therapy: a theoretical review.

Recently, the problems of old age have been discussed in terms of two aspects: preventive and therapeutic approach. The previous studies on the preventive aspect have been mostly concerned with the educational preparation for successful approach to elderly, directing focus toward the transitional period of the old age. Most research into the therapeutic aspect on the elderly diseases has focused on organic mental disorders such as dementia and functional mental diseases such as depression. This study aims to suggest the preventive and new therapeutic possibility in old people through combining the elderly health with literature. First, the research results regarding the social background for the elderly problems indicate that geriatric diseases increase in proportion to the increase of the population. Secondly, for the literature therapy, it is initially required to seek a comprehensive understanding about the health of the elderly through the phased consideration for the elderly problems. Thirdly, for the treatment of geriatric diseases by using literature, it is necessary to develop more active and integrative literature therapy than passive bibliotherapy. Literature therapy is the use of literature in the treatment of people with emotional or mental illness. Fourthly, theoretical approach should be considered for the health of the elderly and the literature therapy. From a literary approach, the literature therapy can help the study on geriatric diseases such as dementia and depression. Thus, the program for the health of geriatric issues and literature therapy should be developed as the next step in the future.