“The purpose of the playlist is to build some awareness on how music can affect mental health and how it's related to mental health in a positive way,” said music therapist Gabriella Carrizo. “We can use music to promote our wellness, to promote rehabilitation and to promote mood.”
Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center is a certified comprehensive stroke center.
Think about your favorite song. Perhaps it conjures the memory of lowering a needle onto vinyl or sliding a cassette into a boombox. Today, we can simply tap on a playlist when we need a song to lift us out of our bad mood. For stroke survivors, these mood-boosting benefits can be vital, said Morgan Lankford, a mental health counselor in New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s rehabilitation hospital. Depression and anxiety are both common in stroke survivors.
“Music is so therapeutic, but can be really healing for depression, anxiety, and can also treat pain,” Lankford said.
There’s robust evidence for proof. In 2008, researchers published work in the journal ‘Brain’ that showed listening to music for one hour every day improved memory and attention, as well as mood, during the early stages of stroke recovery. A follow-up study in 2014 further examined how and why: Listening to music stimulated structural changes in the areas of the brain responsible for verbal memory and language skills, and also focused attention.
A big bonus: Music is fun and accessible to all. The Mental Health Matters playlist reflects numerous music styles and genres with the goal to uplift the listener and perpetuate joy — everything from “Evergreen” by Barbra Streisand to “Chicken Fried” by the Zac Brown Band.
“We have come up with the idea for this playlist that anybody can contribute to —employees, patients — just to gather some songs that inspire, that motivate and uplift mood,” Carrizo said.
Follow the instructions below to listen to the playlist and add your own song. Happy listening!
How to access the playlist
Download or open the Spotify app
Click on the magnifying glass "Search" feature on the bottom toolbar
Tap the camera icon in the upper right corner
Hover over the below image
Or, you can use the Spotify search bar to search for the playlist's name: Mental Health Matters NHNHRMC.
Please note: This site is not for personal medical questions. Those need to be answered by your medical provider.
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