Using Opera and the Performing Arts to Educate about Mental Health Problems - Ciklu.

For several years now, the performing arts have been used to Educate about Mental Health Problems. An important aim is to eliminate stigma, which is a multifaceted concept which has several causes including shame and which is thought to act as a barrier to successful help seeking and engagement with support services by persons with mental health problems. There have been many art forms used, from One Man Shows, to films, Plays, Dance, or Singing. Recently Opera has been added to this collections of art form initiatives . We review the publications on how performing arts have been used to destigmatise mental health problems, including those in which an attempt has been made to measure the impact quantitatively. We then review Ciklu, a new Maltese Opera production which attempts to destigmatise Mental Health Problems, to show that it fits within the worldwide attempt to use performing arts to destigmatise Mental Health Issues.