A recent study published in the BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies Journal (2023) suggests that music therapy can be used as an alternative treatment for adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder who suffer from depression.
Adolescents who received both active music therapy (improvisation) and receptive music therapy (music listening) exhibited neurophysiological changes in depression and stress in the form of increased 5-HT serotonin secretion and decreased blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol expression.
This is important for several reasons. The first is that medical treatment for depression in ADHD is typically pharmacological in nature. This type of treatment is temporary and has limitations in the form of side effects due to the chemical drug treatment. Also, since children and adolescents typically have greater physical and emotional flexibility compared to adults, treatment in the form of music therapy may allow for a greater therapeutic effect before they develop adult depression.
If you would like to know more, then please click on the above link to the published study.