The clinical use of dream content in modern psychiatry

Dream content holds clinical and prognostic value for several neurological and psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, temporal lobe epilepsy, REM sleep behavior disorder, dementia, the culture-bound syndrome of Latah, and substance use. A narrative review of the literature highlights the importance of dream phenomenology in clinical practice, building on the psychoanalytic tradition. The authors recommend that clinicians regularly inquire about dream content to improve diagnostic insights and formulations of patient presentations.

Study at a glance

Abstract

ObjectiveThough there is a rich psychoanalytic tradition investigating the content and phenomenology of dreams, the clinical use of this has fallen into widespread disuse. We have undertaken a narrative review of the clinical significance and utility of dream content.FindingsDream content may have useful clinical and prognostic value in a number of neurological and psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, temporal lobe epilepsy, REM sleep behaviour disorder, dementia, the culture-bound syndrome of Latah, and substance use.ConclusionsThis review highlights the importance of dream phenomenology in clinical practice. Building on the psychoanalytic tradition, the findings of our review should motivate clinicians to regularly enquire about dream content, in order to enhance diagnostic insights and formulations of patient presentations.