[Dreams and psychologic defence in children and juveniles with neurotic disorders]

The examination of 78 patients at different stages of neurotic disorders and 25 healthy individuals (10-17 years old) has shown that the dynamics of dreams at compensatory stage was directed to their intensification, affective and cognitive activation and to reduction of dreams' activity during decompensation of neurotic disorders. This may indicate their role in psychologic defence. In neurotic patients peculiarity of the reaction to stress was the presence of some latent period after stress, that preceded the very reaction of dream to stress, its longer duration than in healthy individuals and its qualitative peculiarity. That may reflect complexity of adaptation to stress influence in neurotic patients.