Journal of International Psychiatry

[Abstract] Objective To explore the effects of unguided music therapy on the psychological state and automatic thinking in patients with depression. Methods The clinical data of 106 patients with depression who had received treatment in our hospital between June 2015 and June 2016 were analyzed and divided into two groups (n=53) according to the different treatment options. The control group was treated with medicine only, whereas the observation group was given un-guided music therapy combined with medicine. The psychological state and automatic thinking of patients in the two groups were compared. Results After treatment, the scores of Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) and Depression Self Rating Scale (SDS) in the observation group were both shown to be lower than each of that in the control group, and after 2 weeks, 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, score of automatic thinking in the former group was also lower than the control group (P<0.01). The proportion of patients whose Personal and Social Performance (PSP) was between 71-100 in the observation group was 58.49%, higher than the 28.30% in the control group, and the proportion of those between 0-30 in the former group was 0.00%, also lower than the 18.87% in the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion In the treatment of depression, unguided music therapy combined with medicine treatment can improve the patients’ psychological state and automatic thinking, and promote the improvement of personal and social functions; therefore, it is of high clinical value to be popularized in clinical application.

[Key words] Depression; Unguided Music Therapy; Psychological State; Automatic Thinking