Dreams and Mental Health

Most common dream themes during COVID-19

inefficacy (e.g., trying again and again, arriving late), human threat (e.g., being chased, attacked), death and pandemic imagery (e.g., being separated from loved ones, being sick)

What are bad dream and nightmare frequencies associated with?

higher stress, greater symptoms of depression and anxiety

What happens with dreams and depression?

reduced dream recall

What further reduces dream recall?

medications such as antidepressants

what can medications and pharmaceutical drugs do?

help shift dream imagery from negative to positive

What are suicidal tendencies in depressive disorder associated with?

More dream-like quality in REM reports from the beginning of night and  reduction in dream-like quality before awakening found in depressed patients.

what do students rating higher in depression/dejection have?

A higher frequency of negative emotions in dreams and increased sadness, anger, and aggression

what happens just before a manic episode?

bipolar patients report experiencing dream themes consisting of death or bodily injury

what happens just before a depressive episode?

reduction in dream frequency

what do patients with schizophrenia see themselves as?

victims of hostility from outside in their dreams