Music therapy for depression, an Ayurvedic approach to mental illness?

India is currently plagued by an epidemic of mental illness. Many members of the population suffer from depression, anxiety and other conditions to varying degrees, 13.7% of the Indian population.

Despite the large number of people with mental health problems across the country, the treatment of mental illnesses is difficult to obtain. This was emphasized Ram Nath Kovind, President of the Republic, said last year that nearly 90% of Indians with mental health problems did not receive any treatment.

The lack of this type of treatment must be addressed, particularly with the increase in suicide rates across the country. Efforts should also be made to determine whether less orthodox methods could be effective in alleviating the symptoms of mental health problems.

According to psychotherapist Vihan Sanyal, a psychotherapist, this may involve looking for ancient alternative healing therapies, such as Ayurveda and yoga. These traditional methods encourage the use of music and dance movements to treat mental illnesses. Dr. Sanyal says that Indian clbadical music has different ragas that stimulate certain parts of our brain. This can have a therapeutic effect on the individual.

Such a simplistic method of dealing with often serious conditions, such as depression, raises considerable doubt. However, some scientific studies confirm these claims.

A review of a number of published studies on Mental health.org.nz shows that in four of the five studies on the use of music therapy in the treatment of depression, the result was positive. These studies were conducted by adding music therapy to the standard care routine of people with depression. These results were then compared to a control group subjected only to standard treatment.

In four of the five studies, subjects were found to have lower levels of depression when they also received music therapy. The fifth study showed that on average, patients did not report any significant changes in mental status when music therapy was added to their treatment regimen.

As a result, in most cases, results can be improved if music therapy is used in addition to standard treatment methods. Therapeutic compliance for music therapy has also proven to be consistently high.

More recent studies have shown that even isolated music therapy can be beneficial for people with depression. A study published in the journal Aging and mental health found that, over an eight-week period, music therapy reduced both depressive tendencies and systolic blood pressure in an experimental group of older adults.

The test participants played music three times a week for eight weeks. The measures were taken using the "Geriatric Depression Scale", with measurements taken at the beginning and at the end of the test. The fact that music therapy also has seemingly low blood pressure levels indicates great potential for therapy. This method of treatment also has the advantage of having no side effects due to the absence of chemical intervention.

Older people are particularly vulnerable to depression. This is partly due to reduced physical and mental activity due to the deterioration of their abilities as they age. Music is an easy way to provide mental stimulation, even to those who are physically fragile. This can have significant positive effects on mental health, as shown by the tests.

Music can release the neurotransmitter dopamine – involved in reward, motivation, memory, attention and even regulation of body movements. Poorly controlled dopamine levels, as well as serotonin and noradrenaline levels, have all been implicated as factors of depression. Each person may have a different causative factor behind their depression, making the disease often difficult to treat with medication.

Dr. Sanyal further suggests adding aspects such as dance to music therapy. Again, it is an Ayurvedic practice rooted in science. It is a well-known fact that even a simple change in posture can affect a person's mental state. In addition, any physical exercise releases endorphins, another neurotransmitter that plays a role in the mood.

More indirect effects can be seen through the music therapy groups proposed by Dr. Sanyal. He notes that social inclusion in a group environment, with all participants playing music and dancing together, could increase social inclusion and reduce weaning in people with depression.

In many parts of India where essential mental health services are still lacking, such group music sessions could become a way to start addressing the huge and neglected problem of mental health. At the very least, such sessions could provide group support to these patients. This should not be a reason for complacency. Lack of clinical care for many Indian patients with mental health problems requires addressing the situation. However, integrating a wider range of therapies to improve patient care can only be beneficial for mental health.

Related

<! –

->