The 9th International Health Humanities Conference

Presentation information

Oral presentation

Research

[10] Oral presentation

[10-7] Diversity and process in performance activities related to mental illness

*Hiroshi Sugimoto1 (1. Niigata University of Health and Welfare(Japan))

Presentation language:English

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This study explores the diversity and process found in performance activities related to mental illness and considers the creation of health as different from the prevention of illness through an ethnographic approach to these performance activities.
The performers of the activities suffer from mental illnesses such as alcoholism, eating disorders, and depression. The performances include such activities as reading poetry or singing. In many of their works, the performers reflect on their experiences with their illness. One performance activity influences others. One of the founders of such performance activity called “presentation of life (in Japanese , IKIZAMAHAPPYOUKAI)” stated that our performance is influenced by other activities. Some activities end or reduce live performance, while some performances or activities continue on . Performance activities are created by many persons and organizations, including musicians, operators of live music cafes, and publishers. Based on participant observation, there is diversity in membership and organizations, as well as in the form of the activities, and there are processes of events mixed with this diversity. In this context, it may be said that health is created from diversity and process, and that this type of health is required in a society filled with complexity.