ReviewBJPsych open2025
Music therapy for patients with depression: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Review in BJPsych open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Animal-assisted interventions for depression in older adults: an umbrella review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Pooled it
- Psychological effects of music listening habits on emotional wellbeing and cognitive performance in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Pooled it
- Development and Evaluation of Individualized Music Therapy for Common Mental Disorders: Protocol for a Multistage Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundDepression is one of the most common mental diseases, leading to a decline in both psychiatric and physical functions. One non-pharmacological therapeutic strategy for the management of psychiatric disorders is music therapy.
aimsTo assess the clinical effectiveness of music therapy and its various subscales for managing depressive symptoms (primary outcome) and related problems (secondary outcome) in comparison with other conventional treatments.
methodA comprehensive search of MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Review, CINAHL, PsyInfo and KMbase was conducted to identify randomised controlled trials published up to 31 August 2023. Studies assessing the clinical effectiveness of music therapy for individuals with depression were included, and data on participants, music therapy and clinical measurement scores were extracted. This study was registered with PROSPERO (no. CRD42023466833).
resultsMusic therapy was significantly more effective than controls in reducing depressive symptoms (standardised mean difference (SMD) -0.97 [95% CI: -1.23 to -0.71],
conclusionsDespite the very low evidence level, music therapy may be recommended with weak strength for patients with depression, considering the results of the meta-analysis and the high accessibility and broad applicability of music.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.