Using Music to Lift Depression's Veil - Democratic Underground

Celebration

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Mon Jan-28-08 10:47 AM
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Using Music to Lift Depression's Veil

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/24/using-music-to-lift-depressions-veil/

Many people find that music lifts their spirits. Now new research shows that music therapy — either listening to or creating music with a specially trained therapist — can be a useful treatment for depression.

The finding that music therapy offers a real clinical benefit to depression sufferers comes from a review by the Cochrane Collaboration, a not-for-profit group that reviews health care issues. Although there aren’t many credible studies of music therapy for depression, the reviewers found five randomized trials that studied the effects of music therapy. Some studies looked at the effects of providing music therapy to patients who were receiving drug treatment for depression. Others compared music therapy to traditional talk therapy. In four out of five of the trials, music therapy worked better at easing depression symptoms than therapies that did not employ music, the researchers found.

“The current studies indicate that music therapy may be able to improve mood and has low drop-out rates,” said lead author Anna Maratos, an arts therapist for the National Health Service in London. “While the evidence came from a few small studies, it suggests that this is an area that is well worth further investigation….We need to find out which forms have greatest effect.”

Ms. Maratos notes that music therapy might be particularly useful for adolescents who may reject a traditional form of counseling. Some older patients also may not be comfortable talking about their feelings, “but do tend to express themselves through song,'’ she said.

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antigop

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Mon Jan-28-08 10:50 AM
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1. my music is about the only thing keeping me going right now...but I don't need a therapist

Not sure what I would do if I didn't have access to a piano.

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Celebration

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Mon Jan-28-08 10:55 AM
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2. I was a little depressed once

So I learned to play the guitar. That was fun!! Now sometimes I listen to CDs with binaural beats, and that definitely affects ability to relax.

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flashl

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Mon Jan-28-08 11:00 AM
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3. I can attest to music's benefits. nt

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Broadslidin

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Mon Jan-28-08 12:04 PM
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4. Appreciative of numerous musical styles, I have discovered the Ray Noble Orchestra....!!

Ray Noble, Dance Orchestra Leader, Musician (piano),
Composer, Arranger....

Sheer fun,
Discovering Musical Treasure such as
Ray Noble's masterpieces of popular song composition,

"Happy and Contented" (Vocalion Vol. Seven)
Al Bowlly's conversation with Eve Becke,
one of the most popular of the small and select company
of girl singers of the time,
is gently funny and in perfect accord with the spirit of the song.

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grasswire

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Wed Jan-30-08 12:52 AM
Response to Reply #4

5. I've heard him on you tube

Every night I have a little private you-tube concert, discovering new videos and watching old favorites. It's just the best prescription for a happy end to the day.

"Without music, life is a mistake" -- Nietzsche.

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RedEarth

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Wed Jan-30-08 09:36 PM
Response to Reply #5

6. Perhaps you might like Pandora

Just go to the link below and plug in musicians you like and they play various songs from a variety of musicians. It's really neat.

http://www.pandora.com/

About Pandora®

When was the last time you fell in love with a new artist or song?

At Pandora, we have a single mission: To play music you'll love - and nothing else.

To understand just how we do this, and why we think we do it really, really well, you need to know about the Music Genome Project®.

Since we started back in 2000, we have been hard at work on the Music Genome Project. It's the most comprehensive analysis of music ever undertaken. Together our team of fifty musician-analysts has been listening to music, one song at a time, studying and collecting literally hundreds of musical details on every song. It takes 20-30 minutes per song to capture all of the little details that give each recording its magical sound - melody, harmony, instrumentation, rhythm, vocals, lyrics ... and more - close to 400 attributes! We continue this work every day to keep up with the incredible flow of great new music coming from studios, stadiums and garages around the country.

With Pandora you can explore this vast trove of music to your heart's content. Just drop the name of one of your favorite songs or artists into Pandora and let the Genome Project go. It will quickly scan its entire world of analyzed music, almost a century of popular recordings - new and old, well known and completely obscure - to find songs with interesting musical similarities to your choice. Then sit back and enjoy as it creates a listening experience full of current and soon-to-be favorite songs for you.

You can create as many "stations" as you want. And you can even refine them. If it's not quite right you can tell it so and it will get better for you.

The Music Genome Project was founded by musicians and music-lovers. We believe in the value of music and have a profound respect for those who create it. We like all kinds of music, from the most obtuse bebop, to the most tripped-out drum n bass, to the simplest catchy pop tune. Our mission is to help you connect with the music YOU like.

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