Dream Recall Frequency Among Patients in a Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Abstract

Aim:The aim of this study was to find out if the frequency of dream recall among neuropsychiatric patients on psychotropic drugs was significantly different from that of healthy individuals. Methods: The study was done on 53 neuropsychiatric patients with different diagnoses who were on medication and 144 healthy individuals. The number of participants in each group who recalled their dreams and those who did not were compared and analyzed statistically for any significant difference. Results: Thirty-five out of the 53 neuropsychiatric patients and 133 out of the 144 healthy individuals were able to recall their dreams. A significantly (p < 0.001) higher proportion of the healthy individuals compared to neuropsychiatric patients on medications were able to recall their dreams. Conclusions: This study has shown that neuropsychiatric patients on medications may have reduced dream episodes or that their ability to remember their dreams may be impaired. A combination of both factors is not unlikely. Thus, the patients have reduced dream recall frequency (DRF) compared to healthy subjects. There
might also be individuals who do not dream.

Key words: Dream recall frequency, Sleep, Psychotropic medication, Psychiatric outpatient clinic.