Avinash De Sousa, Jaya De Sousa.
Music therapy in chronic schizophrenia.
J Pak Psych Soc Jan ;7(1):13-7.

Objective: Music therapy has been used worldwide in various psychiatric disorders for rehabilitation and improvement of symptoms not responding to medications. This study wanted to examine the role of music therapy in improving the symptomatology of chronic schizophrenia. Design: This was randomized single blind study where randomization was done by sealed envelope method. Place and Duration of study: This study was conducted in a private hospital set up in Mumbai over a period of 3 years from Jan 2002 to 2005. Subjects and Methods: This study was conducted on 272 patients with chronic schizophrenia subjected to music therapy over a 1 month period. Music therapy was used as an adjunct to medications prescribed by the psychiatrists which were maintained similar in both groups. Assessments were made at baseline and at the end of 1 month using the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale for Schizophrenia (PANSS). Results: It showed a significant difference on various subscales between study and control groups though long term effects were not analyzed. Scores on the anergia, activation and depression subscales of the PANSS showed extremely significant differences (p < 0.0001) while scores on the positive and negative syndrome scales differed significantly too (p < 0.005). Conclusion: Music therapy may thus prove an effective tool in the holistic rehabilitation of schizophrenia as an adjunct to various pharmacotherapy and psychosocial treatments

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