Nightmares in childhood turn into mental illness in his youth?

Scientists have found that recurring nightmares and fears that haunt a child can be prerequisites for the fact that in adolescence he will suffer from psychosis and other mental illnesses.

Many children have bad dreams and nightmares from time to time. If such episodes are rare, then this only indicates the normal development of the child's psyche. However, if nightmares are repeated from time to time over a period of weeks or months, we can talk about the causes of mental illness, say scientists from the University of Warwick in England. It is likely that later these children will experience increased anxiety, depression, episodes of psychosis, and even hallucinations. English researchers published their research in the professional scientific journal Sleep.

“We would not want to needlessly worry parents with our research. Three out of four children experience nightmares, and this is normal, says Professor Dieter Wolk from the University of Warwick. “However, if they continue for a long time, this should be a sign of some concern.”

Nightmares are of two kinds, scientists explain. Those that we remember in detail and after which we suddenly wake up (often feeling a sense of relief, realizing that it was just a dream), occur in the phase of REM sleep. Another kind of nightmare comes in a phase of slow, deep sleep. The latter, scientists say, are more dangerous. A person wakes up screaming, often jumping out of bed. However, in reality, he often cannot remember what exactly he dreamed and scared to such an extent.

During the study, researchers observed a group of children from the ages of 2 to 9. It turned out that children who suffered from frequent nightmares up to 12 years experienced three times more often this or that kind of psychosis during adolescence. Twice more often, their mental illnesses fell into adolescents who, in childhood, repeatedly encountered nightmares in the slow sleep phase.

Now scientists have to find out whether it is possible to prevent mental illness in adolescence, if you recognize their background in childhood.