Research on the Melancholia (Depression) Treated by Qigong with Music

Objective: In order to find a non-medical treatment for melancholia, which would avoid the side effect or dependence on medicine.
Methods: 40 inpatients were selected as subjects, by choosing patients whose scores of the GDS were more than 10. The subjects included 25 males, 15 females ranged from 50 to 80 years old.
The violin concerto was played while they were practicing the imitation-REM (rapid eye movement) Qigong. This kind of Qigong was requires more attention to the head and eye. The subjects practiced Qigong once per day, for half an hour for one week.
Scores of the GDS, the width of the number test, TCD (noninvasive transcranial Doppler ultrasound) and CNP were applied just before the treatment, one week and two weeks after the treatment.
Paired samples T-test were used for the data.
Results:
1. The mean scores of the GDS one week before the treatment, one week after and two weeks after were 12±2.1, 9±4.2, 7±4, respectively. Scores of 30 cases (75%) reduced more than 50% after two weeks, which indicated that the effective rate of this treatment was 75%.
2. The mean scores of the width of the number test were respectively 5.16±0.28, 6.05±0.3(p<0.05), 6.85±0.38 (p>0.05) just before one week after and two weeks after the treatment.
3. The mean blood velocities of the middle cerebral artery were 56.10±7.41, 59.20±8.9(p>0.05) one before and two week after treatment.
The index number of the cerebral vessels resisting force were 0.57±0.05, 0.5±0.04(p<0.05) just before and two weeks after the treatment.
4. The Amplitude of the CNV showed significant difference (p<0.05) between the values one week before and two weeks after the treatment.
Conclusions: The results indicated that this kind of non-medicine treatment, Qigong combined with music therapy was effective for the melancholia.