British researchers have found that encouraging patients to express themselves musically can improve the mental health of individuals living with schizophrenia.
One hundred fifteen patients with schizophrenia were randomly assigned to a group receiving either standard care alone or standard care with a music therapy component in which they were encouraged to play various instruments. Patients in the music therapy group showed improvements in symptoms of schizophrenia as well as those of depression and anxiety associated with the disorder after three months, results showed.