title: Effect of an art brut therapy program called go beyond the schizophrenia (GBTS) on prison inmates with schizophrenia in mainland China-A randomized, longitudinal, and controlled trial.
abstract: Creative arts therapies are proven to promote an interconnection between body and mind, but there are major obstacles for providing therapeutic services in prisons due to inmates' inherent mistrust for verbal disclosure and rigid self-defenses, especially among inmates with schizophrenia. Thus, we developed a structured and quantitative art brut therapy program called go beyond the schizophrenia to actually measure the benefits of art therapy on prison inmates in mainland China. Upon completion of the program, the intervention group reported a decrease in anxiety, depression, anger, and negative psychiatric symptoms and showed better compliance with rules, socialization with peers, compliance with medications, and regular sleeping patterns after 16 weekly sessions of go beyond the schizophrenia. This article concludes that the art brut therapy was effective for the inmates with schizophrenia in mainland China and provides encouraging data on how to enhance mental health for inmates with schizophrenia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Art brut therapy can reduce emotional distress and negative psychiatric symptoms among Chinese inmates. Arts brut therapy can enhance Chinese inmates' compliance with rules, socialization with peers, compliance with medicines, and regular sleeping patterns. Arts brut therapy in conjunction with medication is highly recommended for recovery of Chinese inmates with schizophrenia, especially for patients with negative symptoms.
authors.affiliation: College of Economics and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Hong-Zhong
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: College of Economics and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Zeng-Jie
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: College of Economics and Management, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Mu-Zi
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Prison of Yangjiang, Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Yue-Qun
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Prison of Yangjiang, Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Prison of Yangjiang, Yangjiang, Guangdong Province, China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Dong
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001155:Art Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000628:therapy*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: GBTS; art brut; inmates; mainland China; psychotherapy; schizophrenia