When people feel depressed, it undermines their ability to live a normal and active life. There are several ways to manage or get rid of depression, but going by a recent study, it was found out that music when combined with standard care could be an effective treatment for depression. RALIAT YUSUF writes.
People listen to music for different reasons ranging from merriment to parties and relaxations etc. Most people find that music lifts their spirits.
It is thought to be the first form of art to be born, and throughout the long history of human, it has proved to play an essential part in our lives. Hardly is there anyone who has never listened to a song. Hence, we all seem to owe many things to music.
There are times when one feels depressed. Feelings of gloom and inadequacy fill one’s mind and carrying out even the daily activities becomes difficult.
Depression reduces brain activity and hampers the mind’s ability to plan and execute tasks. Listening to music might help lift more depressed people out of the dumps than common antidepressant medications do, suggests a new study.
That is however not to say that people with depression should toss out their medications and pick up a guitar. The music therapy administered to patients in the new study was in addition to regular therapy, and the patients continued their regular medication routines.
Mental depression is a serious disorder in the brain that affects the mind’s ability to execute tasks as well as living a fulfilling life. There is a type of neurotransmitter (chemicals that transmit signals from a neuron to a target cell across a synapse) in the brain called Serotonin.Lack of serotonin leads to depression. However, meditation music helps increase the serotonin levels of the brain, making it easier to execute the desired tasks during the day. This is just one of the many ways how meditation music soothes the mind.
Mr. Michael Monday, a psychologist says from historical perspective, music applies its relevance to every facet of human life. It is a strong basis of communicating values and keeping the society together. Its cohesion cannot be understated as it binds, disintegrates and also preserves people, he said.
He further stated that great poets cannot deny the fact that the application of music to recitation has helped sustain poetry, adding that music has a very strong medicinal inclination in it as a treatment for depression.
He also stated that Biblical records shows that Israel’s king Saul was a troubled man and David was invited, he played the Harp and sang to soothe Saul’s soul.
For modern medicine and psychiatry, the use of classic and jazz music aids significantly for mentally depressed persons. The use of ‘old school’ music helps in memory recollection for the aged and patients of memory loss, said Mr. Michael.
Music is proven to provide 56% more comfort and relief than drug because it is participatory and aligns with the nerves to soothe sorrow and pain. It helps for quicker recoveries than drugs, he said.
Dr. Emman Shehu who plays guitar as a hobby says, the power of music on human beings is an age-old fact which science is underscoring with more and more findings.
Music , he says has a direct effect on human emotions and this has made it a versatile medium of communication. Musicians have come to the realisation that music penetrates the body.
The interplay of music and various facets of human life are interesting. Religion depends a lot on music as evident in the haunting cadences of the muezzin to the enchanting melody of the choir. Music is also utilized as a medical tool for therapy. It would be difficult to imagine the value of entertainment without music, he added.
Music is known to have a strong effect on the human psyche. Learning to play an instrument boosts the brain’s auditory ability and even makes it easier to learn foreign languages, studies show. Music can also trigger memories by activating the medial prefrontal cortex, which sits in the brain just behind the forehead. This region is one of the last areas of the brain to atrophy during Alzheimer’s, explaining why many Alzheimer’s patients can recall songs from the distant past.
Music is one of the few activities that involve using the whole brain. It is intrinsic to all cultures and can have surprising benefits not only for learning language, improving memory and focusing attention, but also for physical coordination and development.
Music can be distracting if it’s too loud or if it competes for our attention with what we are trying to do. But for the most part, exposure to, listening or enjoying music has beneficial effects in which treatment of depression is one.