Hi all,
About a year ago I started a Facebook group called Medicinal Music. It was created with the intention of having a place to share and discover music within a tight-knit community of folks who really enjoy a whole spectrum of musical varieties rather than just the conventional genre or two that we're used to seeing. Lately I've been trying to grow the member count a bit in hopes of increasing the dialogue/recommendations going on in the group. If anyone is into that sort of thing, please, feel free to join! We would love to have you there and bring new "leads" to the group. There's nothing like that feeling of discovering a new song or a new band and that's what the group is all about!
The reason I mention this is because I believe music is often overlooked as a form of medicine, particularly as a mental health medicine. That was basically the motivation behind the creation of the group and to this day, I tend to mostly post songs that either make me feel better when I'm down or are a source of comfort to me. I also occasionally post songs that get my heart pumping! But I suppose that could also be seen as a form of medicine since it can give you such a feeling of release. All this to say, to me, music is a very powerful medicine to promote mental health. I have found time and time again that when I'm feeling depression or anxiety kicking in, it's a direct result of not listening to enough therapeutic music. And i'm not talking about New Age or Ambient House here necessarily, although if that's what does it for you, go nuts! I'm talking about music that makes you FEEL GOOD!
So yeah, I think there's definitely an element of prevention involved with regards to the frequency and consistency of one's listening. Bear in mind that these are all merely my personal experiences and hypotheses. I can't prove any of it but I have no doubt that there are countless studies out there and plenty of research done on the subject. That being said, if anyone has any thoughts or insights to contribute, I would love to hear them!
Cheers. 
