Dream anxiety and early response to treatment in depressive disorder: A prospective analytical study

Abstract

Early response to treatment in depressive disorder is a predictor for duration of illness, full response and remission. Dream anxiety is a common complaint about which patient is distressed and reports to the clinician frequently. There are no studies assessing the relationship between dream anxiety and early response to treatment. The aim was to assess whether change in dream anxiety levels was related to early response to treatment in patients with depressive disorder. 106 patients with depressive disorder were assessed using HAM-D, Van dream anxiety scale at baseline and at follow-up after 1 week. Patients’ adherence to treatment was evaluated by Morisky medication adherence scale-4 and those with high adherence were included for further assessment at follow-up. 41.5% of the study population had early response to treatment. There was 24.7% reduction in the dream anxiety levels after treatment. Improvement in dream anxiety scores (OR = 1.321, 95% CI = 1.079 - 1.618, p-value = 0.007) was significantly associated with early response to treatment. The improvement in dream anxiety was associated with early response to treatment in depressed individuals. Clinical assessment of change in dream anxiety levels could indicate to the early response to treatment, thereby helping in planning the management strategies.