{"id":27426,"date":"2018-07-03T08:32:00","date_gmt":"2018-07-03T08:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/health\/?p=27426"},"modified":"2020-06-05T12:57:28","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T07:27:28","slug":"melodious-healing-research-shows-benefits-of-music-therapy-for-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drprem.com\/globalhealthcare\/melodious-healing-research-shows-benefits-of-music-therapy-for-depression","title":{"rendered":"Melodious Healing: Research Shows Benefits Of Music Therapy For Depression"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Can notes of Bach and Beethoven help in treating your depression? All of us would unequivocally agree that listening to music imparts a pleasant feeling that lifts our mood. Modern researches have proved that music therapy for depression<\/strong><\/em> is highly effective.<\/p>\n

Imagine yourself in a difficult situation. When a pleasant note or music reaches your ear from anywhere, your attention quickly shifts towards it. The benefits of music therapy in healing sick body and soul have been realized since the dawn of civilization.<\/p>\n

It has been recorded that music of Thales cured plague affected population in Sparta around B.C. Today, we are exposed to a variety of music. But how often do we consider musical healing for natural anxiety relief or to treat depression? It may work better than anti-depressants.<\/p>\n

Origin of modern music therapy:<\/h2>\n

\"Depression\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It was in 1940s after the World War II, the returning soldiers suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) were given institutionalized music therapy. The musical healing was clearly evident from the soldiers\u2019 physical and emotional response to the melodies and hymns which was not achievable through conventional treatments.<\/p>\n

Today, the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) is the only largest music therapy association in the world helping more than 5000 music therapists in 30 countries.<\/p>\n

Can Music Therapy help in natural anxiety relief?<\/h2>\n

\"Music-Therapy-For-Depression\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Music has the ability to shift your attention from painful and uncomfortable conditions to pleasant and soothing ones. It adopts a number of pathways to reduce stress and anxiety by suppressing the sympathetic nervous system.<\/p>\n

Music triggers the release of dopamine and endorphins and blocks the pain pathways enhancing the overall feel of wellbeing, which can be utilized as an effective therapy for depression.<\/p>\n

In music therapy, the therapist applies music to address specific emotional, psychological, social, and physical needs of an individual. Within a therapeutic setting, the individuals listen or create music to express themselves in different non-verbal manners.<\/p>\n

The melody, rhythm, and harmony of the music help in stimulating the senses of the individual enabling an improved emotional response. It results in calming of the mind with a reduced heartbeat and slowed respiratory function. Music therapy needs to be customized according to the patient\u2019s requirements and normally involve various musical combinations.<\/p>\n

Evidence on music therapy for depression:<\/h2>\n

\"Depression\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A study published in the British Journal of Psychiatrist in 2011 revealed the beneficial impact of music therapy for depression. A group of Finnish researchers studied 79 people aged between 18 and 50 suffering from depression. Forty-six persons were given the standardized care that included 5-6 psychotherapy sessions, counseling, and antidepressant medications.<\/p>\n

The remaining 33 persons along with the standard care were also exposed to 20 bi-weekly music therapy sessions each of 60-minute duration. Selected musical instruments were used in the sessions.<\/p>\n

Baseline depression scores were measured after 3 and 6 months respectively. Persons receiving musical therapy along with the standard care showed marked improvement in depression symptoms than those only under the standardized care.<\/p>\n

Earlier research on music therapy for depression:<\/h2>\n

\"Music-Therapy-For-Depression\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In a previous research published in 2009 by mentalhealth.org.nz, the effectiveness of music therapy for depression has been indicated.Five small group studies comprising of 19-68 participants were carried out with people of different age groups during the years 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, and 1999.\u00a0 All the participants were diagnosed with clinical depression of varying intensities.<\/p>\n

Three studies were mainly focused on older adults within the age group of 60-85 years. Two studies included adolescents and senior adults within the age group of 14-62 years. All the study groups were given different types of music therapies with varied duration of sessions. Different forms of standardized care were also provided in all the five studies.<\/p>

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Four studies (1992, 1994, 1999 and 1997) reported a greater reduction in depression symptoms among the participants, while the study of 1995 reported no change in mental state of the participants compared to those receiving only randomized standard care.<\/p>\n

The effectiveness of music <\/strong>therapy for depression from the above studies may not sound convincing enough as these involved small groups compared to the large-scale clinical trials conducted to confirm the efficacy of any therapy.<\/p>\n

But these small studies indicate one strong point – music therapy can cause an improvement of mood beyond the standardized care even if it has a short-term effect. Nowadays, music therapy is highly recommended for geriatric care as it helps in improving social, psychological, intellectual, and cognitive functions of the elderly population.<\/p>\n

How is music therapy applied to treat depression symptoms?<\/h2>\n

\"Depression\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Symptoms of depression manifest in the losing interest or pleasure in anything. All activities and happenings around you seem to be meaningless. To come out of this, you can adopt the following steps of music therapy under the guidance of a therapist.<\/p>\n

By live or played music:<\/h3>\n

\"Music-Therapy-For-Depression\"<\/a><\/p>\n