Childhood depression maybe cured by music therapy

In the largest ever research of its kind, the scientists have found that music therapy can be a possible cure for depression in children and adolescents having behavioural and emotional troubles.

The study, conducted by the researchers at Queen’s University Belfast along with the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust, found that children or teens who received the music therapy treatment showed remarkable improvements in their self-esteem and also reduced their depression symptoms significantly as compared to those who were deprived of the music therapy treatment.

During the study, the researchers also found that those depressed kids who received music therapy had also improved their communicative and interactive skills as compared to those who received usual care options alone.

The research work was conducted between the period March 2011 and May 2014 and involved 251 children and young people who were divided into two groups. The first group included 128 people who were given the usual care options and the second one that involved 123 participants who were also getting an additional music therapy treatment along with the usual care.

All the participants were getting treatment for the emotional, developmental and behavioural problems. The early findings suggested towards the benefits of music therapy that are sustained in the long term.

Dr Valerie Holmes, Centre for Public Health, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences and co-researcher, “This is the largest study ever to be carried out looking at music therapy’s ability to help this very vulnerable group, and is further evidence of how Queen’s University is advancing knowledge and changing lives.”

Ciara Reilly, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Music Therapy Trust, said, “Music therapy has often been used with children and young people with particular mental health needs, but this is the first time its effectiveness has been shown by a definitive randomized controlled trial in a clinical setting.”

Concluding the study, Reilly said that the findings are dramatic and underline the requirement for music therapy as a mainstream treatment option for the patients suffering from the stress and depression problems.

Written by James Kent at Wall Street OTC 

Music has the power to heal

There is an old belief, now being revisited, that music has the power to heal. Where does this idea come from, and how does it apply to traditional Chinese music?

"Our ancestors believed that music had the power to harmonize a person’s soul in ways that medicine could not. In ancient China, one of music’s earliest purposes was for healing. The Chinese word, or character, for medicine actually comes from the character for music.

During the time of the Great Yellow Emperor (2698-2598 B.C.E.), people discovered the relationship between the pentatonic scale, the five elements, and the health five internal and five sensory organs. During Confucius time, scholars used music’s calming properties to improve strengthen people’s character and conduct. 

Today, scientific research has also validated music’s therapeutic ability to lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, enhance concentration, stabilize heart rate, and more."

 Gao Yuan 

You can find the whole interview with Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra Composer Gao Yuan here

Speech-Language Therapy and Music Therapy Collaboration: The Dos, the Don’ts, and the “Why Nots?” - part I

Definition of collaboration: “The process of working jointly with others in an intellectual endeavor to bring about change, and it implies shared responsibility” 

As the number of cases of children being identified with communication disorders increases, so does the need for cost effective treatment. Therefore, many therapists are looking to collaboration and co-treatment as a way to meet this need. This is evidenced by a recent survey of 695 music therapists, as 44.6% said they collaborate with SLPs (Register, 2002).

Why utilize inter-, trans-, or multi-disciplinary collaboration between music therapy and speech therapy?

*It benefits the client’s overall well-being

*It is cost effective

*Language and music are structurally similar in many ways

5 similarities between music and language:

* Music and Language are universal and specific to humans;

* Both have pitch, timbre, rhythm, and durational features;

* Spontaneous speech and spontaneous singing typically develop within infants at approximately the same time;

* Music and language have auditory, vocal, and visual uses (both use written systems) and are built on structure and rules;

* Distinct forms of music and language exist and vary across cultures.

When You Collaborate with the Other Therapist:

Do…

…Communicate with one another on how to best address the needs of the client and what music interventions can be used to enhance and support communication areas the SLP is addressing with the client.

…Co-Treat!

…Collaborate on goal development (find a time that will work for both of you – even if it’s just for 10-15 minutes a week!). If meeting in person does not seem to work, try other technologies, such as email correspondence, using Skype, Twitter, or an instant messaging program. This may work better for both of your schedules.

…Understand your limits (do not overstep your professional training bounds)

…Have a clear understanding of the other profession’s scope of practice. MTs should look at the ASHA scope of practice and SLPs need to be aware of the CBMT scope of practice. By doing this, the professionals can avoid conflict, confusion, and misunderstandings.

…Understand each profession’s strengths and areas of training

…Educate yourself on the lingo of the other field (healthcare professions LOVE annoying, hard-to-remember acronyms)

…Be flexible!

…Share information with one another: therapy news articles, ideas, pamphlets, research papers, etc.

…Communicate, Communicate, Communicate!

References:

- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). (n.d.). Standards and implementation procedures for the certificate of clinical competence. 

- Cohen, N. S. (1994). Speech and song: Implications for therapy. Music Therapy Perspectives, 12(1), 8-14.

- Miller, S. (1982). Music therapy for handicapped children: Speech impaired. Project Monograph Series. Washington, DC: National Association for Music Therapy.

- Peters, J. S. (2000). Music therapy for individuals who have communication disorders or impairments. In Music therapy: An introduction (2nd ed., pp.170-188). Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher.

- Register, D. (2002). Collaboration and consultation: A survey of board certified music therapists. Journal of Music Therapy, 39(4), 305-321.

- Rychener-Hobson, M. (2006). The Collaboration of Music Therapy and Speech-Language Pathology in the Treatment of Neurogenic Communication Disorders: Part II — Collaborative Strategies and Scope of Practice. Music Therapy Perspectives, 24(2), 66-72.

- Zoller, M. (1991). Use of music activities in speech-language therapy. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 22.

Info written by Rachel See Smith, from Explore Music Therapy

Saúde com Arte - ConSentir o Som

Reportagam sobre Saúde com Arte - ConSentir o Som

Um programa da SAMP - Sociedade Artística Musical dos Pousos na Psiquiatria do Centro Hospitalar Leiria-Pombal (CHLP)
Reportagem RTP1 - Jornal da Tarde
2010

 

 

Alive Inside

Alzheimer’s and dementia are a reality for an increasing and often unseen population. Though well intentioned, many nursing homes are not equipped to fully meet the needs of these residents. We are left with several questions without any real or comforting answers: How do I want to age? What can we do for our loved ones? Can we do better?

Alive Inside investigates these questions and the power music has to awaken deeply locked memories. The film follows Dan Cohen, a social worker, who decides on a whim to bring iPods to a nursing home. To his and the staff’s surprise many residents suffering from memory loss seem to “awaken” when they are able to listen to music from their past. With great excitement, Dan turns to renowned neurologist Dr. Oliver Sacks, and we follow them both as we investigate the mysterious way music functions inside our brains and our lives.

Besides telling a moving story, it is our hope that this film will encourage widespread adoption of personalized music programs in nursing homes and outpatient therapy in homes. We hope that our film will inspire and educate the millions of people burdened by diseases that affect memory, and create a grassroots demand for this kind of low cost treatment, which could help not only patients but also caregivers across the globe. Like many films that concentrate on a simple story but echo into larger stories, we feel this film raises questions about how we as a society care for the elderly and afflicted.

Alive Inside focuses on one man’s journey, but it raises many deep questions about what it means to still be Alive Inside. It questions when we stop being human, and what it takes to re-start a life that has faded away. It asks questions about how we see our elderly, and how we are going to treat an epidemic of these degenerative diseases.

Info from Alive Inside

The Benefits of Drumming

This article was taking from Back Mountain Music Therapy

"The wonderful thing about a drum is that there are no wrong notes. This makes playing successful to anyone who tries it. Who would ever think that giving some drums to a small group of chaotic, unfocused, hyper children could actually pull their attention together and help increase their social skills. 

Knowing that children automatically speed up and automatically want to bang away as soon as they get the drums, stir some doubts. But with careful management, the magnetic pull of a good beat pulls our brains in its direction. Watch a classroom move in sync as a good beat is pumped into the room. Most all children will move in one way or another. They may all move in a different way, but their movement and attention is pulled to the same direction at once. All are moving at the same time: they can’t help it. Doing this in a fun, game-like way is much easier than trying to “teach” them how to follow a beat or pay attention. “Teaching” requires too much attention on “getting it right,” while playing puts us all on automatic. 

When children are all beating together, the social skill possibilities are endless; impulse control, attending, focus, listening to others, sequencing, turn-taking, and the list keeps going. Drumming in this way build self-confidence and self esteem and allows safe nonverbal communication. Drumming in this manner simultaneously raises the level, focuses, and contains the children.

The added plus to the scenario is that it leaves little room for interruption and will likely continue in their head after the session ends. Rhythm now creates organization, actually changing a neurological pathway and helping the child focus.

There are also children who have such poor fine motor skills they can barely hold a drumstick. Many of these children who are slower at developing these skills are pulled so by the beat that they continue to try until they gradually get there. I have often seen children who begin poking a drum occasionally with the wrong end of a drumstick because of such fine motor delay, hat within one or two sessions are pulled so by the pulse they they are using an alternating hand pattern and beating the drum the right way with delight. Some of the children’s muscles that are too rigid and tight to beat a drum find that an accompanying beat pulls their bodies and arms to move in the direction of the beat with significantly greater ease.

Drumming helps us get out of our own heads. Drumming gets us to play. We are moved to play through the pulsating rhythm. It can not only facilitate physical, but also emotional, cognitive, and neurological change. Playing a beat, coming in the back door, effecting change."

by Antoinette

Nursing home patient reacts to music

In this amazing video an unresponsive nursing home patient reacts to hearing music that he loved from his era. Previously hunched over, his eyes widen, his whole being "quickens". He recalls who he is and how his favorite songs were sung.

The nursing home music program hopes to transform the lives of residents — especially those experiencing dementia — by giving them their favorite music. 

The clip below is part of a documentary called Alive Inside, which follows social worker Dan Cohen as he creates personalized playlists for people in elder care facilities, hoping to reconnect them with the music they love, reports NPR News.

Cohen says the YouTube video of Henry is a great example of the link between music and memory. Cohen says his goal is "to make access to personalized music the standard of care at nursing facilities."

Alive Inside screens April 18, 20 and 21 at the Rubin Museum in New York City.

Text adapted from GoodNewsNetwork

Jovem autista expressa-se através da música

Kyle Coleman, 26 anos, de Gwithian, Cornwall, foi diagnosticado com autismo aos três anos de idade e sempre se expressou apenas através de algumas palavras. O seu talento musical foi descoberto quando a sua mãe, Caroline, o levou para uma sessão de musicoterapia em 2009.

A musicoterapeuta Carine Kelley descobriu que a música constitui um meio instintivo e eficaz através do qual Kyle consegue expressar suas emoções e, desde então, visita-o duas vezes por semana. 

"Tornou-se quase imediatamente claro que Kyle tinha uma afinidade natural com elementos musicais e poderia recriar suas canções favoritas no teclado sem um conhecimento musical prévio", disse ela.

"A sua personalidade e emoções brilham através de seu canto e desta forma foi-nos possível desenvolver uma relação especial e explorar as capacidades do Kyle."

Depois de se aperceber do dom do seu filho, Caroline levou-o a um estúdio de gravação em Plymouth, para ver como ele reagia neste contexto. Revelando-de destemido perante a nova experiência, Kyle gravou sua canção favorita, "Monday, Monday" do grupo "The Mamas and Papas". O proprietário do estúdio ficou tão impressionado com o talento de Kyle que sugeriu a gravação de um álbum de caridade. E assim foi!

A sua mãe disse: "Nunca houve um álbum gravado e lançado por um indivíduo autista que tem uma linguagem muito limitada e uma incapacidade para se comunicar com os outros." 

"O seu pai era músico e morreu há dois anos Num acidente de moto. Eu acho que o talento musical de Kyle vem do pai."

O albúm é constituído por várias covers de Robbie Williams, Cat Stevens e Razorlight e inclui também uma música que foi escrita especialmente para ele, relativa ao autismo. O álbum foi apoiado pela National Autistic Society (NAS) e  lançado no dia 2 de Abril de 2012 (Dia Mundial do Autismo).

Notícia [em inglês] acedida em DailyMail

The music never stopped, o filme

Cerca de um ano e meio após ter descoberto "The music never stopped" - sobre o qual fiz um post aqui - finalmente tive a oportunidade de ver o filme. Aproveito para fazer uma breve descrição em português, já que no outro post escrevi em inglês.

Baseado num caso real estudado por Dr. Oliver Sacks (retratado no seu livro "The last Hippie"), o filme retrata a história de Gabriel Sawyer, um músico que perde a capacidade de guardar novas memórias devido a um tumor cerebral. 

O pai de Gabriel esforça-se por lutar contra o tumor cerebral do filho, o que o leva a procurar uma musicoterapeuta com o objectivo de utilizar a música como elemento conector entre o filho e a realidade. A profissional de musicoterapia descobre que a música rock que Gabriel escutava na sua juventude o ajuda a  recuperar algumas das capacidades cognitivas que os médicos consideraram irreversivelmente perdidas.

Apesar da distância física e emocional entre pai e filho nos últimos 20 anos, a dedicação do pai permite fortalecer a relação outrora esquecida, renunciando à suas próprias crenças para abraçar as peculiaridades e divergências do filho.

Saliento o ênfase que o filme deposita na musicoterapia, abordando especificamente a importância da música numa situação neurológica delicada. No caso do Gabriel (o qual recordo que apresenta uma base verídica), a música permitiu a estimulação de circuitos cerebrais, a recuperação de memórias e a reaprendizagem de funções cognitivas que, de outro modo, teriam sido negligenciadas, esquecidas, abandonadas.  Imperdível.

Uma tentativa de definição...

A Musicoterapia é, desde os anos 40 do século XX, utilizada como ramo da medicina, no entanto, a sua utilização como acção medicinal e terapêutica remota a tempos antigos.

São muitas as referências e numerosos os escritos relacionados com a aplicação da música e sons na medicina. No Egipto, numa região próxima a Kahum, foi descoberto em 1889 um papiro com aproximadamente 4,5 mil anos que revelou a aplicação de sistemas sonoros, instrumentos e voz para o tratamento de doenças físicas, bem como distúrbios emocionais e espirituais. A história regista que também a mitologia grega recorreu a técnicas terapêuticas de carácter musical. Asclépio, deus da medicina, filho do deus Apolo, tratava os seus doentes fazendo-os ouvir cânticos mágicos. O famoso historiador Homero afirmava que a música era uma dádiva divina para o homem: com ela, poderia alegrar a alma e, assim, apaziguar as perturbações da mente e corpo.

Do ponto de vista histórico, para muitas culturas, o som é a força divina que se manifesta através das vibrações rítmicas.

O 1º Congresso Mundial de Musicoterapia ocorreu em 1974 e surgiu pela primeira vez uma definição mundial, segundo a qual a musicoterapia consiste numa “técnica terapêutica que utiliza a música em todas as suas formas, com participação activa ou passiva por parte do paciente”.A música mobiliza aspectos biopsicossociais do indivíduo, e constitui, na prática da musicoterapia, o objecto intermediário da relação musicoterapeuta-paciente. Esta prática compreende o uso da música pretendendo alcançar objectivos terapêuticos nos domínios físico, comportamental, mental, emocional, social e espiritual. Compreende o uso intencional e planeado da música processado no seio da relação estabelecida entre musicoterapeuta e paciente.

Actualmente é aceite a definição de que a musicoterapia é a utilização da música e/ou dos seus elementos constituintes (ritmo, melodia e harmonia), por um musicoterapeuta qualificado, com um paciente ou grupo, num processo destinado a facilitar e promover a comunicação, relacionamento, aprendizagem, mobilização, expressão, organização e outros objectivos terapêuticos relevantes, a fim de atender as necessidades físicas, emocionais, mentais e sociais e cognitivas (World Federation of Music Therapy, 1996). A musicoterapia procura desenvolver potenciais e/ou restaurar funções do indivíduo através da prevenção, reabilitação ou tratamento. Faculta a recuperação ou integração dinâmica do indivíduo consigo mesmo e com o seu grupo social.

É uma aplicação científica do som, da música e do movimento por meio da escuta e execução, cuja finalidade é oferecer um meio de comunicação lúdico que se revele eficaz para a população que se apresenta comprometida nas capacidades de comunicação e interacção, pretendendo possibilitar bem-estar e promover a qualidade de vida.

Bibliografia acedida:
• Braga, A. L. & Lang, N. (2006). Pesquisando a “inclusão” na cidade de Ribeirão Preto. Revista Brasileira de Musicoterapia, 8, pp.11-25;
• Bruscia, K. E. (1998). Definindo Musicoterapia. Rio de Janeiro: Enelivros;
• Camargo, D.; Bulgacov, Y. L. & Cunha, R. (2003). Interjogo de imaginação e emoção: estudo de um processo musicoterapêutico. Interacção em Psicologia, 7(1), pp.45-53;
• Costa, C. M. (1989). O despertar para o outro – musicoterapia. São Paulo: Summos;
• Magee, W. L.; Brumfitt, S. M.; Freeman, M. & Davidson, J. W. (2006). The role of music therapy in an interdisciplinary approach to address functional communication in complex neuro-communication disorders: a case report. Disability and Rehabilitation, 28(19), 1221-1229;
• Padilha, M. C. (2008). A musicoterapia no Tratamento de Crianças com Perturbação do Espectro do Autismo. Dissertação de mestrado. Covilhã: Universidade da Beira Interior;
• World Federation of Music Therapy (1996). What is music Therapy, acedido a 17 de Outubro de 2009 em http://www.wfmt.info/WFMT/FAQ_Music_Therapy.html;
• Zanini, C. R. et al (2009). O efeito da musicoterapia na qualidade de vida e na pressão arterial do paciente hipertenso. Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia, 93(5), pp.534-540.

Imagem acedida em:

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