Make a Joyful Noise: Integrating Music into Child Psychiatry Evaluation and Treatment

Abstract

Music is a significant part of daily life for most youth, affording clinical opportunities to cultivate positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Clinical inquiry into what types of music elicit different emotions, how music fits into daily life routines, how music connects one to others, and how music anchors life events can improve the clinician-patient alliance and patient well-being practices. Music may be useful in home and school settings to help youth manage diverse moods. Practicing an instrument effectively accelerates accomplishment and pleasure, which applies to other life activities.

Keywords: Child and adolescent; Mental health; Music; Well-being.