Objective: The purpose of this systematic review is to examine the evidence of music therapy for depression in adolescents in order to answer the following questions: (1) What types of music therapy are being employed to target symptoms of depression in adolescents? (2) What is the effect of music therapy on depressive symptoms of depression in adolescents?

Methods: PRISMA guidelines were followed in performing this systematic review. Studies published in the last 25 years from January 1996 to December 2020 were identified through the use of the PubMed database, using the keywords: ‘music’ AND ‘depres*’ OR ‘anx*’. Two authors independently conducted a focused analysis and reached a final consensus on 8 studies that met the specific selection criteria and passed the study quality checks.

Results: Eight randomized controlled trials were selected in this review including 8 music therapy interventions for depression: musical negative mood induction procedures (NMIP), Health RHYTHMS drumming protocol, group music therapy (GMT), musical improvisation, Chinese 5-element music therapy, percussion exercises, and cognitive behavioral therapy combined with music therapy. Overall, music therapy interventions appear to significantly
reduce depressive symptoms in adolescents.

Conclusion: The findings of this systematic review indicate that music therapy may be an effective tool for reducing symptoms of depression in adolescents. There is a need for large sample studies examining this area, along with those that address symptoms of anxiety. Future research incorporating music therapy into clinical practice is necessary.