Music therapy can reduce depression in children and adolescents with emotional and behavioural problems, a large new study finds.
The new three-year study followed 251 children who were split into two groups: around half were given care as normal, while the other half were given normal care plus musical therapy. The music therapy itself included things like the therapist asking children to describe how they felt by playing a tune.
The results showed that those who received the music therapy had higher self-esteem and reduced depression in comparison to those that had care as usual. The early results suggest the effects are long-lasting.
Simply listening to music, as well as singing along, were found to be beneficial for older adults experiencing long-term depression, anxiety and pain.
Music therapy has often been used with children and young people with particular mental health needs, but this is the first time its effectiveness has been shown by a definitive randomized controlled trial in a clinical setting. The findings are dramatic and underscore the need for music therapy to be made available as a mainstream treatment option.
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Source material from PSY Blog