Depression is a mental disorder caused by various causes with significant and persistent depressed mood as the main clinical feature, and is the most common mental illness worldwide and in our country. The number of patients with depression worldwide was as high as 350 million in 2017, and the number of patients with depression in our country was nearly 100 million in 2019. The greatest danger of depression is self-injurious and suicidal behaviour, and this behaviour carries a high medical burden. Medication is the most costly treatment for depression in China, and while it is an effective way to treat patients with depression, it has many side effects and poor patient compliance. Non-pharmacological treatments commonly used in clinical practice include physiotherapy and psychotherapy. Physiotherapy is commonly used in non-convulsive electroconvulsive therapy, but its clinical efficacy is uncertain and it can also cause adverse effects such as heart failure and arrhythmias, which are poorly tolerated by patients. Psychotherapy is also a common non-pharmacological therapy. Cognitive therapy is a common form of psychotherapy, but the cycle of cognitive therapy is too long, the cost to the patient is high, and the patient’s cognitive ability has certain requirements. Music therapy is a combination of art and science. It is a cross-discipline that combines body, movement, dance and psychology and is a method of psychotherapy that has biological, psychological and social functions to compensate for deficiencies. Music therapy sees a fundamental connection between mind and body and emphasises that what affects the body also affects the mind. When mind-body integration is lacking, individuals will suffer from a variety of psychological disorders. Therefore, the core principles of music therapy emphasise that holistic individual health is embodied in the integration of mind and body, that body movement is expressive and communicative, and that music therapy uses body movement as a method of assessing the individual and as a means of clinical intervention.

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