Music therapy can be implemented to enhance the treatment of depression, in the short term at least, according to researchers in Finland. The BBC reports that music therapy used non-verbal communication to help patients express their emotions.
The study on the subject of music therapy was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.
For the study, researchers gave all patients with depression the standard practice of counseling and appropriate medication. However, 33 were also provided 20 sessions with a trained music therapist, which involved things such as drumming.
The results showed after three months, patients receiving music therapy showed a greater improvement in scores of anxiety and depression than the other set of patients, reports the BBC.
Professor Christian Gold, from the University of Jyväskylä, told the BBC, “Our trial has shown that music therapy, when added to standard care helps people to improve their levels of depression and anxiety. Music therapy has specific qualities that allow people to express themselves and interact in a non-verbal way - even in situations when they cannot find the words to describe their inner experiences.”
Some British experts believe music engages people in ways that words cannot.
