Music - A remedy in Psychological Disorders (Manas Vikara)

Abstract

One in four people in the world will be affected by psychological disorders (manasvikara) at some point in their lives - Geneva (WHO). Around 450 million people currently suffer from such conditions, placing psychological disorders (manas vikara) among the leading causes of ill-health and disability worldwide. Depressive disorders are already the fourth leading cause of the global disease burden. They are expected to rank second by 2020, behind ischemic heart disease but ahead of all other diseases. Constant exposure to severely stressful events, dangerous living conditions, exploitation, and cut- throat competitions, mismanaged life style are some main causes of manas vikara at present era. During the past few months, mental health has received public and media attention in an unprecedented manner. This was related to the release of the report of the National Mental Health Survey (NMHS). So mental illnesses are a real health issue, which means you can't treat them with lifestyle changes alone. In conjunction with a healthy lifestyle, though, your treatment options will work more effectively and you'll see more rapid change. Among all these there is a concept that music can play a tremendous role in manas vikara chikitsa which is also mentioned in our Ayurvedic compendias. Music is an age-old part of Ayurveda. Great composers of Indian classical music have attempted music therapy down the years. Legend has it that classical music Maestro Thyagaraja brought a dead person back to life with his composition.