Dream contents in patients with major depressive disorder

In this case-controlled study, we examined the dream contents of 41 patients who met DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) and 82 matched healthy subjects. Frequency distribution of dream content categories among patients with depression was as follows: death (87.80%), separation (70.73%), frightening animals (60.97%), frightening situations (58.53%), natural disasters (59.09%), aggression (48.78%), falling (43.90%), waste matters (43.90%), blood (41.49%), negative emotions (41.46%), bizarre elements (39.02%), punishment (26.83%), suicide and homicide (24.39%), and sexual harm (21.95%).