Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:794-797
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
A preliminary study of the personality of the nightmare sufferer: relationship to schizophrenia and creativity?
E Hartmann, D Russ, B van der Kolk, R Falke and M Oldfield
Through psychiatric interviews and psychological tests the authors studied
38 adults who reported experiencing at least one nightmare per week. Nearly
all of the subjects had a lifelong history of frequent nightmares. Four of
the subjects met DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia, 9 met the criteria for
borderline personality, and 6 met the criteria for schizotypal personality.
The others had no specific diagnosis, and none of the subjects had a
diagnosis of typical neurosis. Many had mentally ill relatives. Most had
artistic interests and talents. These nightmare sufferers may be seen as
unusually vulnerable, with a potential for mental illness--especially
schizophrenia--as well as a potential for artistic achievement.
