Divorced And Depressed? Start Dreaming

Dreams May Provide Clues About Coping With Depression

Laura Bobendrier, Staff Writer

People who are recently divorced deal with more than anger and loneliness -- many also struggle with depression.

But new research could provide clues as to why some people seem to recover from depression while others languish without showing any improvement.

Dreams may unlock the mystery. Researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago have studied how the dreams of those who are depressed from a recent divorce may contribute to overcoming depression.

The idea is that people who are depressed after a marital breakup will emotionally adjust more rapidly if they are able to construct and recall well-developed, emotionally rich dreams.

Rosalind Cartwright, Ph.D., director of the Sleep Disorder Service, and colleagues designed a study to test the hypothesis. They also theorized that if dreams involving the ex-spouse become less frequent and less negative, depression would remit.

Preliminary results revealed that when dreams of the ex-spouse are seen in a casual or distant manner, the recently separated or divorced person will begin to recover and cope with this life change.

Those who are not coping well with a recent marital separation have sparse dreams, and if the ex-partner appears at all in the dreams, they are seen in a negative role, often as weak, rejecting or punishing.

SURVEY Do you remember your dreams? Yes, almost always Now and then No, hardly ever Results | Disclaimer

Cartwright said that if neutral or negative dreams that change into more positive dreams during the night relieve depression, equipment that monitors dreams in the home might eventually be developed to help treat depression.

Now, Cartwright is seeking to increase the number of volunteers in the next phase of the study to determine if these preliminary results hold firm for a larger group of people going through divorce.

"Now we would like to broaden the study to also include those who are adjusting well to divorce and see how their dreams differ from those who are depressed, and how their dreams change over time," Cartwright said.

People interested in volunteering for the trial must be recently divorced from a marriage that lasted at least three years. They cannot be taking any antidepressants or undergoing psychotherapy for depression.

Volunteers will undergo two nights of sleep recordings during three sessions over a 5-month period, according to the researchers. Volunteers will be paid for their participation.

Individuals interested in enrolling in the study should call (312) 942-3686.

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