ANTI-DEPRESSANT POTENTIAL OF MUSIC THERAPY

Depression should be recognized as a clinical syndrome that is characterised by a cluster of emotional, behavioural, and cognitive features. The prevalence of depression is consistently high worldwide, and is associated with considerable morbidity. Music is one of the oldest and most basic socio-cognitive domains of the human species. Music Therapy is growing as a profession globally, both in quantity and stature as a recognized treatment. In the light of above, we were interested to elucidate the usefulness of Music Therapy in the management of depressed patients. This research project was carried out on fifty indoor patients admitted at Gupta Hospital, Hisar. All the patients, who received Music Therapy showed fast recovery from depressive symptoms and exhibited normal behavior after 5 days of Music Therapy. Music Therapy had positive influence on the cognitive parameters and patients showed stable mind, better perception, improved expression, good intellect, fine decision making ability and sharp memory after receiving Music Therapy. Music Therapy administered for five days evoked fall in blood pressure and heart rate close to normal values in patients, who showed hypertension and tachycardia at the time of admission into the hospital. EEG was found to be normal in all the patients under study before and after Music Therapy. Furthermore, Music Therapy had positive influence on the cognition status and general behavior of patients. In conclusion, this study provides clinical evidence for the application of Music Therapy in managing patients suffering from depression. Music has the unique capability of bringing back the charm and making the life worth living for depressed patients.