Music therapy clinicians who work with persons who have  depression may be interested in a new study that showed statistically significant changes with music therapy intervention. 

Erkkila et al. (2011) studied the effect of individual music therapy in a RCT study of 79 participants. Participants in the MT group (n=33)  received up to 16 music therapy sessions (bi-weekly, 60 minutes) that included music listening, improvisation, active music playing, and verbal reflection. The authors label this as a psychodynamic approach.

Numerous outcome scales were utilized including MADRS, the HADS-A and the GAF. Results indicated significant improvements in depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and general functioning for the music therapy group.

This was overall a well-explained study. The authors are extremely clear about their study procedures, their statistical analysis, and their limitations. Although a music therapy protocol is not included, the authors are clear about the role of the therapist and the types of exercises that were used in the music therapy sessions. Overall this was a very clear and well-written study that was completed with a good sample size.

Reference:

Erkkilä, J., Punkanen, M., Fachner, J., Ala-Ruona, E., Pöntiö, I., Tervaniemi, M., Vanhala, M., & Gold C. (2011). Individual music therapy for depression: randomised controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry. PMID:  21474494