This is fascinating- especially as I work in a hospital and spent four years in medical research. My hospital uses art as a form of therapy (both for patients and staff!), so I certainly think game development could have very positive results.
One benefit development could have over, say, creative writing or painting, is the scope for group projects to help with team building and sociability and how inclusive this can be. There's a place for pretty much anyone in a game development team, whether your skills are (as your mention) art, coding, writing, but also sound recording/ mixing, music, man management, project management, accounting, promotion, graphic design, language translation, animation, editing, playtesting etc.
Hope your project goes well- I'll keep an eye on your Twitter :)