Search

Objectives: This opinion paper aims to provide an overview of the current evidence base supporting the use of music therapy in mental health care. It also aims to offer critique on the issue of access to music therapy in Australia., Conclusions: There is a strong evidence base for music therapy to provide symptomatic relief and improve quality of life for people living with mental illness. However, music therapy is underfunded and framed as a supplementary service within mental health services in Australia, which limits its access to consumers. Funding music therapy as an evidence-based treatment option would fill an existing service gap and provide equitable access to a cost-effective and often consumer preferred treatment option for mental health consumers.

Objective: To critically examine the self-report measures most commonly used in Australian mental health research in the last 10 years., Method: A critical interpretive synthesis was conducted using seven outcome measures that were identified as most popular in 43 studies from three mental health journals., Results: Results suggest that the amount and type of language used in outcome measures is important in both increasing the accuracy of the data collected and fostering positive experiences of data collection for participants., Conclusions: Results indicate that many of the measures most often used in Australian mental health research may not align with the current contemporary philosophy of mental health clinical practice in Australia., (© The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2016.)