Rhyme and Reason: The Relationship between Creative Writing and Mental Wellbeing
The relationship between creative writing and mental wellbeing is the subject of much debate and is often founded on conjecture and supposition. The aim of this small study was to explore the relationship between creative writing and mental wellbeing, with the cooperation of 14 adults who had all been users of mental health services and were involved in a creative writing group in the community. Qualitative data were collected from an interview (with the group facilitator), observation (of the group over a period of four group sessions) and the nominal group technique (to elicit the beliefs and opinions of the group itself). The findings of the study were two-fold. Firstly, there was a tension between the cathartic expression of thoughts and feelings and the production of quality writings and, secondly, the notion of stigmatisation as a result of being a user of mental health services emerged. This explorative study, carried out in an urban Scottish context, indicated a covert relationship between creative writing as a product (rhyme) and its therapeutic by-products which affect an individual's mental wellbeing (reason).