Songwriting, Group Cohesion and Negative Symptoms of Schizophrenia

The purpose of this literature-based study was to investigate the effects of group songwriting on negative symptoms of schizophrenia and group cohesion. Several studies showed the effectiveness of music therapy in reducing negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Music therapy has also been effective in increasing group cohesion in various populations. The music therapy technique of songwriting has been successful in increasing group cohesion in other populations, but there is little literature about the use of this particular technique in patients exhibiting negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The results of this study suggest that group songwriting could be an effective technique for music therapists to use in order to increase group cohesion when working with patients exhibiting negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Clinical examples of the use of this technique in this population were presented, and a group songwriting method for increasing group cohesion and reducing negative symptoms of schizophrenia was proposed in this study.