Several studies and meta-analyses have reported that music therapy is an effective intervention for schizophrenia.One study used an individual music intervention treatment, and another 3 used group music interventions.Patients were hospitalized schizophrenia patients. The music interventions, such as listening,discussing, singing, and instrument playing, continued for 2—15 weeks. The measurement instruments used in these studies included the scale for the assessment of negative symptoms (SANS),the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS), and the brief psychiatric rating scale.The results showed that music intervention can significantly improve schizophrenia symptoms,negative symptoms,and quality of life.All studies conducted pretests and post tests.
One of the studies also conducted a follow-up test after 4 months.