GP believes doctors should prescribe music and writing courses for depressed patients

People who suffer from depression should be prescribed music and writing courses by doctors, a GP claimed.

Dr Laura Marshall-Andrews believes it could help thousands improve their mental health.

"GPs need the freedom and the flexibility to try out different therapies and use different interventions," Dr Marshall-Andrews told the Daily Mail.

Adding, "I believe doctors should be able to prescribe arts, music, writing courses, as well as complimentary therapies such as acupuncture to their patients."

Previous research has found music therapy could help treat the mental health issue. Researchers also found music helps ease anxiety and improve functioning in depressed individuals.

“We can now be more confident that music therapy in fact improves patients’ symptoms and functioning, and that this finding holds across a variety of settings, countries, types of patients, and types of music therapy,” senior study author Christian Gold of Uni Research Health in Bergen, Norway is quoted as saying by Reuters.