Changes in dream experience in relation with antidepressant escitalopram treatment in depressed female patients: a preliminary study.
Rivista di psichiatria January 1, 2014 Adele Quartini, Annalisa Anastasia, Francesco Saverio Bersani et al.
Depressed patients often have disturbed, negatively toned dreams. In 27 women with major depressive disorder starting escitalopram, dream recall and quality were impaired at baseline. After 8 weeks of treatment, alongside reduced depression severity, patients reported significant improvements in the quantity and quality of dream recall, dream emotional content, and dream complexity. Patients with less clinical improvement continued to report impaired dream experiences. Changes in specific dream characteristics—such as subjective recall, recall quality, emotional content, and complexity—appear to be reliable markers of antidepressant therapy effectiveness.