Bringing music to mental patients

Singer Ngoc Khoa sings for psychiatric patients. Photo: Hanh Dung

Therefore, in recent times, the Central Psychiatric Hospital No. 2 (Tan Trieu Ward, Dong Nai Province) has applied music as a therapeutic solution to help mentally ill patients stabilize their emotions and reintegrate into the community.

An invaluable source of emotional support.

After a month of diligent practice under the guidance of doctors and technicians, Ms. T.D. (34 years old, residing in Ho Chi Minh City) and 17 other patients being treated at the Central Psychiatric Hospital No. 2 recently confidently performed the song "Just Be Happy" on stage.

Against a musical backdrop, all 18 patients sang in unison and in perfect harmony. With a cheerful melody, the entire group sang and danced along to the music, evoking indescribable emotions in the viewers.

Ms. T.D. confided that she was hospitalized due to severe depression caused by work and personal life pressures. Since being admitted, she has been able to confide in others, participate in hospital activities, and especially learn to sing, sing, and perform on stage. Each practice session is quite challenging, but she feels immense joy when she successfully completes a song.

“Participating in this year's arts festival organized by the hospital, I performed two songs: 'Just Be Happy' and 'A Story That Never Began.' The song 'Just Be Happy' aims to convey the message: When you feel tired, just tell your friends about your worries, just try a little harder, and everything will be alright. The song 'A Story That Never Began' wants to say that you should forget about the past as if it never happened. Keep what's important, and let go of what's not,” Ms. T.D. shared after finishing her performance.

Like Ms. T.D., patient D.K. (47 years old, from Vinh Long province) also has a special passion for music. At therapy sessions in the department or in cultural programs organized by the hospital, Mr. D. enthusiastically participates. He performs many songs about love for his homeland, country, and family, and also plays the melodion, receiving applause from the audience, which includes psychiatric patients, doctors, and nurses.

Mr. K. confided: Thanks to the care and assistance of the doctors and nurses, and participating in outdoor activities and performing arts, he feels his condition has improved significantly. Previously, Mr. K. suffered from delusions and only slept 1-2 hours a day, but after treatment with various therapies, including music, he now eats well and sleeps soundly.

Music bridges all distances.

Recently, People's Artist Ta Minh Tam, former Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, visited and sang for psychiatric patients undergoing treatment at the Central Psychiatric Hospital No. 2. He said: “Many people think that psychiatric patients are something very ‘intense.’ But when I went to the hospital, interacted with them, listened to them sing, watched them perform, and received their enthusiastic encouragement, I found them very endearing, very fond of life, and passionate about art. Watching psychiatric patients perform, I realized they have musical emotions, and it gave me new musical inspiration as well.”

People's Artist Ta Minh Tam highly praised the Central Psychiatric Hospital No. 2's Board of Directors, doctors, and technicians for their thorough application of music to achieve excellent results, helping patients recover their mental state quickly. He shared: "I am always ready to contribute my efforts to things that are beneficial to life, including bringing music to patients undergoing treatment at hospitals, including psychiatric patients. At those times, I feel life is truly meaningful."

Central Psychiatric Hospital No. 2 is currently treating nearly 1,000 inpatients. Among the therapies for mental health rehabilitation, music therapy is being used very effectively at the hospital.

Having been involved with hospitals and mental health patients for nearly 20 years, Master of Arts and singer Nguyen Ngoc Khoa, a lecturer at the Dong Nai College of Culture and Arts, said: “I started working with professional music at the age of 20, and it has been over 30 years since then, many of which have been spent working with mental health patients. I love music and find it even more meaningful as a therapeutic method for mental health patients. Thanks to music, patients who were previously unconscious gradually recover their emotions and can return to normal life. I am very happy and grateful to see mental health patients perform, using musical instruments from simple to complex. We are very grateful to the doctors and technicians who have used music so effectively.”

Singer Nhung Rita (Ho Chi Minh City), who has also brought music to mental health patients, shared: "For every artist, the audience is very important and is a source of inspiration for the artist to create art. When performing on stage and receiving enthusiastic applause from mental health patients, I am very happy because music truly erases all distances between people."

Hanh Dung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202509/mang-am-nhac-den-voi-benh-nhan-tam-than-3d40399/