Contributions of a poetry writing group to the treatment of severely disturbed psychiatric inpatients

A poetry writing group in a Veterans Administration Hospital had unexpected advantages for the treatment of patients. As an elective group that de-emphasized the discussion of emotions and concentrated instead on technique and writing of poems, it attracted a variety of patients. Some were initially too disorganized to participate effectively in other treatment groups on the ward, but were able to behave in a more organized way in this group. Their writing allowed staff to see treatment possibilities that were otherwise obscured by the patient's withdrawn or confused presentation on the unit.