A Review on the Effectiveness of Music Therapy for Treatment of Psychological Conditions

Abstract

The therapeutic intervention of music for psychological conditions has existed since antiquity and is only being rediscovered recently. In recent times, numerous scientific studies have been carried out, evaluating the effectiveness of music in many psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, manic psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), and obsessive neurosis. Music therapy belongs to an area of psychology and psychotherapy categorized under the broad field of Expressive Arts Therapy. Expressive arts therapy combines psychology and the creative process to promote emotional growth and healing. Research proves that music therapy provides a mitigative effect on psychological conditions. Specifically, music therapy treats an array of psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety, panic disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder without side effect, except in a case with some bipolar patients. This literature review looks at a brief history of music interventions for psychological conditions, the nature of each psychological condition, and some early and current works carried out on different populations including elementary school pupils, secondary school students as well as tertiary institution students. Other samples include clients and patients from outside of the school environment. Some of the research methodologies used in selected studies and their effectiveness in treating each psychological condition will also be reviewed and briefly discussed.