According to British researchers, some of the symptoms of schizophrenia may be eased with music therapy.

The scientists suggest that the depression, anxiety and emotional withdrawal symptoms of schizophrenia, can be alleviated by listening to music.

Researchers at Imperial College London conducted a small study in four hospitals, where 115 eligible patients were randomly selected to receive either standard therapy alone or standard therapy along with a musical component of eight to 12 music sessions.

The patients were encouraged to express themselves with a range of musical instruments.

Study author Dr. Mike Crawford, says it has been known for some time that psychological treatments can help people with schizophrenia, but these have only been used when people are fairly stable.

Dr. Crawford says they found that encouraging patients to express themselves through music seemed to improve their symptoms and music therapy provides a way of working with people when they are acutely unwell.

Around one percent of the population of Britain and the United States are affected by schizophrenia.

The illness usually appears in the late teens and early 20s and is characterised by hallucinations, delusions, hearing voices and changes in behaviour.

Current treatments such as antipsychotic drugs focus on eliminating the symptoms but the drugs can cause side effects such as weight gain, an increased risk of diabetes and sexual dysfunction.

Crawford and his team say they found greater improvements in the music therapy group and even though they could not completely rule out other factors, such as the severity of the illness, they believe the findings warrant further study and a larger trial.

Dr. Crawford says music therapy may provide a means of enhancing the effectiveness of in-patient treatment by reducing some of the symptoms of schizophrenia that respond least well to drug treatment.

The study is published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.