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Provide a 20 pages analysis while answering the following question: Positive and Negative Effects of Music upon Mental Health

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Provide a 20 pages analysis while answering the following question: Positive and Negative Effects of Music upon Mental Health. Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide. An abstract is required. Indeed, there are negative effects that have been identified from scientific studies linked to music. This essay evaluates both the positive and negative effects that music has on human health, specifically focusing on mental health.

Music has been found to be beneficial to human health. Today, based on these benefits, music has found applications in hospitals to help patients relax and ease or relieve pain, anxiety, and confusion. Even counseling greatly leverages on music. Thus, the practice has evolved to a fully-fledged clinical discipline widely used to offer support to people affected by disability, injury, or illness as noted by the British Association for Music Therapy, BAMT (2015), referred to as music therapy. With this regard, people use a wide range of instruments and their voices in creating music language which gives a reflection of their physical and emotional condition, thus enabling them “to build connections with their inner selves and with others around them” (BAMT 2015). This could be calming or exciting, poignant, or joyful. it could stir memories, powerfully resonating with human feelings, helping in expression and communication with other people. As such, it has been beneficially used among varied populations including the developmentally disabled, the mentally ill, the elderly, and those with multiple disabilities. It has been noted to be effective among children with mixed diagnoses. Some benefit has also been noted among those with emotional challenges.

This use of music is no news to mankind. Historically, music was used in healing ceremonies. Such were the times when the illness was considered to be a result of the interaction of magico-religious forces. Thus, music and dance were used in this context to exorcise diseases and heal wounds (Goodman 2011). Aigen (2014) cites Kahum papyrus as the oldest documented form of medical practice.