The effect of active music therapy on the severity of positive and negative symptoms and performance in patients with schizophrenia

Music therapy has been recognized as an effective treatment for various conditions, including psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. Given the limited number of studies on music therapy and its effects on schizophrenia in Iran, and the importance of incorporating multi-modal treatment approaches for this disorder, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of music therapy on the positive and negative symptoms and overall functioning of chronically schizophrenic patients. A pre-post clinical trial was conducted in 2021 at the Parham Care Center in Kashan, involving 43 patients with chronic schizophrenia diagnosed based on DSM-V criteria. Patients underwent three sessions of music therapy per week for six months. Assessment tools included the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and Global Assessment Function (GAF) scale administered before and after the intervention. Following music therapy, there was a significant decrease in overall scores and subscales as measured by PANSS and BPRS (P<0.001), accompanied by a significant improvement in patients' functioning based on the GAF scale (P<0.001). The study findings suggest that integrating music therapy, both active and passive, alongside standard pharmacotherapy for chronic schizophrenia can lead to a significant reduction in positive and negative symptoms while enhancing overall functioning.