Occupational therapy has contributed to the treatment
and rehabilitation of people with severe mental
health problems since it emerged at the beginning of the
20th century in the USA (Duncan, 2006) and became
formally established with training standards in 1920
(Haworth, 1933). This therapy draws on the emerging
discipline of occupational science, which asserts that
engagement in meaningful and satisfying occupations
contributes to health and well-being, social inclusion,
and improves functioning and self-respect (Wilcock,
2005). In most psychiatric and day hospitals, the prevailing
psychosocial treatment is occupational therapy
in which expressive art, crafts, and recreational activities
are the media through which therapists build self-esteem
and productivity (Allen, 1988).