Background
Music therapy is a therapeutic method that uses musical interaction as a means of communication and expression. The aim of the therapy is to help people with serious mental disorders to develop relationships and to address issues they may not be able to using words alone.
Objectives
To review the effects of music therapy, or music therapy added to standard care, compared with ’placebo’ therapy, standard care or no treatment for people with serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
Search methods
We searched the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group Trials Register (December 2010) and supplemented this by contacting relevant study authors, handsearching of music therapy journals and manual searches of reference lists.
Selection criteria
All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared music therapy with standard care, placebo therapy, or no treatment.
Data collection and analysis
Studies were reliably selected, quality assessed and data extracted. We excluded data where more than 30% of participants in any group were lost to follow-up. We synthesised non-skewed continuous endpoint data from valid scales using a standardised mean difference (SMD). If statistical heterogeneity was found, we examined treatment ’dosage’ and treatment approach as possible sources of heterogeneity.