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Texas State University has introduced “Introduction to Architectural Psychopathology,” a first-of-its-kind interior design course that guides designers on how to create spaces for individuals who live with autism, dementia, depression, schizophrenia and anxiety disorders. Students taking the course are trained to create interior spaces that actively support these individuals.
The course began as a book with the same name by Nadim Adi, assistant professor in the Department of Interior Design at Texas State. It was co-written with Mais Aljunaidy, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Texas State.
“We ended up publishing a book about the subject called An Introduction to Architectural Psychopathology,” said Adi.
He says they originally looked into designing safer homes and hospitals for individuals living with dementia and discovered the need for safer spaces for individuals struggling with other mental health issues.
“Apart from dementia or autism, those are kind of covered, but for other things like stress, depression, post-traumatic stress, for instance, those are not covered,” said Adi.
Adi says the course breaks down interior designing, one element at a time.
“So for instance, lighting and its effect, and color and its effect, and the temperature of the room and its effect, and kind of helping the students understand that all of these are tools that you could use,” said Adi. “And we know the effect of each individual tool, but really you're making a cocktail of these things when you're designing a space or recommending design interventions for a person.”
Adi used his office during his post-doctoral days as an example of a work environment that could be problematic for those suffering from depression.
“My office didn't have any windows at all, and that is not very conducive to a healthy work environment, because it causes the person to be stressed out more,” said Adi. “And if there's a readiness to be depressed that also causes that. So these are small things. As designers, we know them, but it's not so obvious for a person outside of the field.”
Adi said strobe lighting can cause an episode in individuals with epilepsy. And long corridors with no clear exits could trigger an individual with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Adi said colors are key to designing safe spaces for those living with schizophrenia.
“The main thing is to kind of lean into calming colors, so things like your pastel blues or lavenders, for instance, these are helpful,” said Adi. “Also having green elements in the design is always helpful for the person.”
Plants or pictures of plants can also be calming. Bold, bright colors should be avoided.
Adi said though this is not a one size fits all approach, he wants his students to have a deeper understanding about how the built environment affects mental health, and how interior design can help individuals live a healthier quality of life.
The graduate-level course is being taught at the School of Psychology at Texas State University.
