Effectiveness of Dance/Movement Therapy on Affect and Psychotic Symptoms in Patients with Schizophrenia

Highlights

•Dance/movement therapy showed significant positive effects for patients with schizophrenia in decreasing state anger and depression compared to the control group.
•Dance/movement therapy showed significant positive effects for patients with schizophrenia in increasing anger control compared to the control group.
•Dance/movement therapy showed significant positive effects for patients with schizophrenia in decreasing negative psychotic symptoms compared to the control group.

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a debilitating and pervasive mental illness involving a range of cognitive, behavioral, and emotional dysfunctions with impaired occupation or social functioning. Previous studies suggested a possibility that dance/movement therapy (DMT) could be useful for the treatment of schizophrenia. This study investigated the effects of DMT on affect and psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia. The DMT group (n = 18) received both DMT and medical treatment over 12 weeks, and the control group (n = 20) received only medical treatment. As a result, DMT group showed a significant decrease of state anger and depression compared to the control group after treatment (for state anger, F(1,36) = 2.26, p < .05; for depression F(1,36) = 5.92, p < .01), and did a significant increase of anger control compared to the control group after treatment (F(1,36) = 5.11, p < .01). For psychotic symptoms, DMT group showed a significant decrease of negative psychotic symptoms compared to the control group after treatment (F(1,36) = 5.12, p < .01). DMT is expected to be an alternative treatment program to be able to reduce negative affect with anger control and improve negative psychotic symptoms.
Keywords

Dance/movement therapy; Schizophrenia; Anger; Depression; Anxiety
1 Like

About the only therapy someone hasn’t told me to try. Think the last one mentioned was equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP), Which just isn’t available in my State.

About once a week I dance with my eyes closed while listening to music. It seems to help. Thank you for the link.

1 Like

i get down with my rapper crew every week …we Da Bomb :boom:
take care :alien:

1 Like