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The "tortured artist" is a Western archetype that depicts professional artists as individuals in constant mental torment. According to this trope, poor mental health contributes to and is potentially even necessary for creative output and ambition. Although artists face mental health challenges at significantly higher rates than the general population, they have not been extensively studied or approached as a patient population with distinct risk factors or needs. In this session, we will introduce providers to the mental health challenges artists face and how mental health treatment can support not only their personal health and wellbeing, but their creative needs as well. Building upon NYPSI's legacy through Stephen Sondheim's therapeutic journey with Dr. Milton Horowitz, this session demonstrates how psychoanalytic understanding can support rather than inhibit creative expression. We hope that by the end of the session, providers will obtain a deeper appreciation for the mental health needs of artists and practical skills for how to approach working with them in treatment.
Alana Mendelsohn, MD is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, and a co-founder of Creatives Care. Dr. Mendelsohn completed her medical, scientific and clinical training in adult psychiatry at Columbia University and has maintained a part-time private practice in New York for the last four years providing comprehensive medication management and psychotherapy.Amy M. Rosenthal, LCSW is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Director of Creatives Care, a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting NYC-based artists with affordable, high-quality mental health care. A graduate of NYU's School of Social Work and the Psychoanalytic Fellowship at the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (NYPSI),