Abstract:Objective To investigate the effects of Five-Element Music therapy in traditional Chinese medicine on depressive state in elderly patients with depression. Methods A prospective, randomized, and controlled study was performed in 91 elderly patients with depression. They were divided into treatment group (treated with Five-Element Music, n=47), positive control group (treated with Western music, n=23), and negative control group (not treated with any music, n=21). They listened to different types of music on the basis of conventional antidepressive treatment. Before and after 4 weeks of treatment, the depression was evaluated using the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD). The clinical outcomes and adverse events were examined. Results After treatment, the treatment group showed significant decreases in SDS score, HAMD total score, and scores of all HAMD factors (P<0.05). Compared with the positive control group and the negative control group, the treatment group showed significantly greater decreases in SDS score, HAMD total score, and scores of HAMD anxiety/somatization factor and sleep disturbance factor (P<0.05). And the treatment group showed a significantly better clinical outcome than the negative control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Five-Element Music therapy can improve the depressive symptoms in elderly patients with depression.