Music Therapy in Medical Treatment
Music therapy is a beneficial complementary treatment for various medical conditions including anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, though evidence quality varies and it should be considered as part of a multidisciplinary approach rather than standalone therapy.
Definition and Implementation
Music therapy is provided by trained professionals who hold professional degrees in music therapy 1. It differs from simply listening to music in that it involves personalized interventions delivered by qualified music therapists 2.
Evidence for Effectiveness by Condition
Anxiety and Depression
- Cancer patients: Music therapy and music-based interventions show small-to-moderate treatment effects on depression (SMD, -0.41) and large effects on anxiety (SMD, -1.51) during active cancer treatment 1.
- General mental health: Meta-analyses demonstrate beneficial effects of music therapy for:
- Schizophrenia patients (improved negative symptoms, quality of life, and social functioning)
- Depression (significant improvement when added to standard treatment)
- Social anxiety in adolescents (more effective when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy)
- Postnatal depression (reduced symptom severity) 3
Chronic Pain
- Music therapy shows promise for both acute and chronic pain management 4.
- A 2024 scoping review identified numerous benefits of music-based interventions for chronic pain and concomitant difficulties including emotional regulation and anxiety/depression symptoms 5.
- Music interventions that account for participants' preferences and encourage self-management appear most effective 5.
Cancer Care
- Music therapy demonstrates emotional and physiologic benefits with improvements in pain, anxiety, stress, depression, relaxation, mood, comfort, and fatigue in cancer patients 1.
- Postoperative music reduces anxiety, pain, and morphine consumption 1.
Mechanism of Action
Music appears to exert direct physiologic effects through the autonomic nervous system and has indirect effects by modifying caregiver behavior 6. For pain specifically, music works through:
- Modulation of primary nociception
- Contribution of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system to the affective component of pain perception 4
Limitations and Considerations
- Evidence quality varies considerably across studies, with many having methodological limitations 1.
- For cancer pain specifically, a 2022 guideline found insufficient evidence to recommend for or against music therapy in treating palliative or chronic pain in cancer patients 1.
- Most studies show short-term effects, with long-term impacts being less well-established 1, 3.
Implementation Recommendations
- Patient preferences matter: Interventions that account for participants' musical preferences appear most effective 5.
- Professional delivery: Music therapy provided by trained music therapists may lead to more consistent results than simply listening to pre-recorded music 1.
- Integration approach: Music therapy should be considered as part of a multidisciplinary approach rather than standalone therapy 1.
- Low-risk profile: Music therapy has no reported harmful side effects, making it a safe complementary intervention 1.
Clinical Applications
- Surgical and procedural settings: Music effectively reduces anxiety and improves mood for medical and surgical patients 6.
- Intensive care: Beneficial for patients in intensive care units 6.
- Palliative care: Improves quality of life, enhancing comfort and relaxation 6.
- Mental health: Valuable non-pharmacological support for various psychiatric disorders 3.
Music therapy represents a low-cost, easily applicable complementary treatment that doesn't require heavy utilization of healthcare resources 4. While more high-quality research is needed, current evidence supports its integration into comprehensive treatment plans for anxiety, depression, and pain management.