Canadian doctors to begin prescribing trips to museums to help treat stress and depression

A group of Canadian doctors are to begin prescribing trips to an art gallery to help patients suffering a range of ailments become a picture of health.

A partnership between the Francophone Association of Doctors in Canada (MFdC) and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) will allow patients suffering from a number of physical and mental health issues, along with their loved ones, to take in the benefits of art on health with free visits.

Nicole Parent, head of the MFdC, told AFP that the numbers offer proof that doctors have "a sensitivity and openness to alternative approaches if you want", citing scientifically proven benefits of art on health.

The benefits are similar to those patients can get from physical activity, prompting the secretion of a similar level of feel-good hormones, and can help with everything from chronic pain to depression, stress and anxiety.

Francophone Association of Doctors in Canada

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

museum therapy