Researchers invited 79 people between the ages of 18 and 50 years old who had been diagnosed with depression. 33 of the participants were offered 20 music therapy sessions, in addition to their usual treatment for depression. The other 46 participants received stan dard treatment, and acted as the control group. The one-on-one music therapy sessions each lasted 60 minutes and took place twice a week. Trained music therapists helped each participant to improvise   music. On average, each participant attended 18 music therapy sessions. 29 individuals (88 percent) attended at least 15 sessions. The participants in both groups were followed up at three and six months and assessed forsymptoms of depression and anxiety. In the final analysis, researchers discovered that af ter three months of participation, individuals who received music therapy showed greatly fewer symptoms  of depression and anxiety, and scored better on general functioning. Although improvements still remained after six months, the difference between the groups was no longer statistically significant. Co-researcher Christian Gold, Ph.D., explained the study findings: "Our trial has shown that music therapy, when added to standard care including  medication, psychotherapy and counseling , helps people to improve their levels of depression and anxiety. Music therapy has specific qualities that allow people to express themselves and interact in  a non-verbal way - even when they cannot find the words to describe their inner experiences." Given the success of the study, researchers say it needs to be repeated with a larger sample of people, and that further research is needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of such therapy. Outside experts believe this study shows that music ther apy is an effective addition to traditional therapy and improves outcomes. Mike Crawford, M.D., said, "This is a high-quality randomized   trial of music therapy specifically for depression, and the results suggest that it can improve the mood and general functioning of people with depression." What do we know about the experiment?
79 patients between 18 and 50 years old received music therapy. All the 79 patients attended at least 18 music therapy sessions. 33 of the participants received music therapy for two hours a week. The experimental group and the control group had the same population.