A Description of the Use of Music Therapy in Consultation-liaison Psychiatry

Journal

Psychiatry

Year

2007

Volume

4

Issue

1

First Page

47

Last Page

52

Abstract

Music therapy is gaining increasing recognition for its benefit in medical settings both for its salutary effects on physiological parameters and on psychological states associated with medical illness. This article discusses the role of a music therapist in consultation-liaison psychiatry, a specialty that provides intervention for medical and surgical patients with concomitant mental health issues. We describe the ways in which music therapy has been integrated into the consultation-liaison psychiatry service at Hahnemann University Hospital, a tertiary care facility and major trauma center in Philadelphia. The referral process and some of the techniques used in music therapy are explained. Anecdotal observations illustrate how a music therapist incorporates the various elements of music as well as the experiences of engaging in music making to bring about changes in mood and facilitate expression of feelings and social interactions in patients who are having difficulty hospitalization. These methods have also been observed to have positive effects on the hospital staff by making available a means with which staff can express pressures inherent in direct patient care. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Music and Health Institute Terms

Emotional Functioning; Engagement Level; Hospitalized Patients; Mental Health; Mood; Music Therapy; Psychological Outcomes; Trauma

Indexed Terms

consultation liaison psychiatry; medical illness; mental health; Hospitalization

Study Type

Editorial, Opinions, Position Papers

Disciplines

Psychiatry and Psychology

Document Type

Article

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