Mental State of the Art: Creative Reflections from Psychiatry Placement
Sian Davies, Roshni Bahri, Katie Dichard-Head, Azjad Elmubarak, Ahmad Kamal Mohamed

TL;DR
Medical students used art to reflect on their psychiatry placements, finding it helpful for processing emotions and improving empathy.
Contribution
Introduces a creativity competition as a reflective tool for medical students in psychiatry training.
Findings
23 students created diverse artworks reflecting their experiences with mental health.
Students found art beneficial for processing complex emotions and understanding patient experiences.
The initiative fostered empathy and was well-received as a therapeutic and educational tool.
Abstract
Aims: Medical training, particularly in psychiatry, often confronts students with emotional challenges that extend beyond clinical skills. Recognizing that medicine is as much an art as it is a science, we invited fourth year medical students at the University of Birmingham to enter a creativity competition whilst on their psychiatry placements. This project aimed to provide a reflective outlet for the students, encouraging them to explore and express their emotional responses to the realities of psychiatric practice. By drawing parallels between their own experiences and those of their patients, the students were able to utilise art as a source of personal insight on their clinical practice. Methods: During their 5 week psychiatry rotation, students were invited to create and submit an artistic piece inspired by their clinical encounters. Creative submissions – ranging from poetry…
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Taxonomy
TopicsEmpathy and Medical Education · Music Therapy and Health · Innovations in Medical Education
