Qionghui Lao

Date of Award

2024

Document Type

MA Project - Restricted Access (SIA Only)

Project Type

MA Project - Business Plan

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Art Business

First Advisor

Zhang Jin

Abstract

The World Health Organization's Global Mental Health Report shows that the incidence of mental health issues continues to rise globally, creating an urgent need for innovative solutions to address the growing challenges in mental health care. As of 2019, approximately 970 million people worldwide suffer from mental health problems, representing 13% of the global population. This seriously impacts an individual's well-being and motivation at work and has far-reaching social and
economic development implications. The global pandemic has exacerbated these problems, exposing enormous healthcare resources and policy gaps. According to the WHO report, the doctor-patient ratio for mental health is one to 100,000 in low- and middle-income areas. Another alarming fact is that 71% of the patients had
never received psychotherapy, due not only to the scarcity of healthcare resources but also to the financial constraints of the vast majority of the population, which block them from a complete cycle of psychotherapy. In addition, the lack of medical resources also leads to long waiting times for appointments. According to surveys, most psychologists take at least two weeks to schedule an appointment, even as long as three months. In addition to the general environment and the shortage of healthcare resources, not every individual confronted with mental health issues is willing to seek medical assistance. Shame and fear can lead many people to choose to struggle alone with a mental health condition or to search for information on the internet in an attempt to solve their problems privately. The overwhelming
amount of information on the internet can make it impossible for people to sort out the right way to deal with their condition, and there's a risk that their condition will get worse. Art healing is one of the most recognized forms of psychotherapy for people of all ages. Margaret Naumburg, one of the founding fathers of art healing, introduced the concept as early as the last century, encouraging participants to express and relieve their inner emotions through free creativity and expression. Based on clinical mental health counseling, art healing has developed many specialized fields, including music, painting, dance, and drama healing. As an adjunct to medication and physical therapy, this treatment has achieved great success in the U.S. and U.K., with many artists not in mental health fields joining the practice, and the academic and practical development of art healing is well established, with a credible research and theoretical foundation. Art therapy has a wide range of audiences, which is one of Mainstays' motivations for bringing this
healing method to smart mobile devices. Recognizing the massive potential of art healing, we launched the Mainstays Online Art Healing System, a system that combines the latest generative AI technology with art healing, aiming to bridge the gap between the growing number of people suffering from mental illnesses and the medical resources that remain in shortage. Artificial intelligence technology has seen transgressive advances over the past two years. Generative AI has become a transformative force, capable of replacing many jobs traditionally relying on human labor. Mainstays Art Healing System leverages this technology to provide 24/7,
affordable, private, secure art healing services. Our system emphasizes practical simplicity, efficiency, and convenience, with no need to make appointments or waiting periods. More importantly, we prioritize user privacy and do not collect or record private data, ensuring our users' safe and confidential art-healing experience. In essence, Mainstays Art Healing System is a beacon of innovation in the field of mental healthcare, addressing the urgent need for convenient and efficient solutions to the world's growing mental health challenges, emphasizing the mental health of every ordinary individual, putting the needs of the user first, and bringing the arts closer to the ordinary person, allowing more people to access healing that is exclusively personal to them.

Download

Share

COinS