Changes in dream experience in relation with antidepressant escitalopram treatment in depressed female patients: a preliminary study.
Adele Quartini, Annalisa Anastasia, Francesco Saverio Bersani, Claudia Melcore, Gabriella Albano, Chiara Colletti, Giuseppe Valeriani, Giuseppe Bersani
Rivista di psichiatria 2014 DOI: 10.1708/1600.17460 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 27 |
| Population | Female patients meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for Major Depressive Disorder |
| Intervention | Escitalopram |
| Duration | 8-week treatment |
| Key findings | Eight-week escitalopram treatment led to significant improvements in dream recall quantity and quality, emotional content, and complexity, paralleling reductions in depression severity. |
Abstract
Sleep disturbances have long been considered as a cardinal symptom of endogenous depression and dreams in depressed patients usually differ from those of healthy people. The aim of the present study was to investigate dream subjective experiences and their modifications in relation to clinical response in a group of escitalopram-treated depressed patients. Twenty-seven female patients meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and starting SSRI therapy were included in the study. Data about psychopathological status and dreaming subjective experiences were collected at baseline (T0), 4 weeks after the beginning of the treatment (T1) and after further 4 weeks of therapy (T2). At T0 dream experience was impaired and negatively toned. Concomitantly with the decrease of symptoms severity, the 8-week escitalopram treatment yielded to significant improvements in the recall of both quantity and quality of dreams; those patients whit lower clinical benefits kept on reporting impaired dream experiences. The results of the present study evidence how the changes in some specific dreaming characteristics, such as the subjective recall of dream activity, the dream recall quality, the dream emotional content and the dream complexity represent reliable markers of the effectiveness of antidepressant therapy.