[Relations of metaphors and depressed mood]

ABSTRACT

This cross-sectional analytical research studied the relationship between depressed mood and the content of metaphors. Subjects consisted of 30 depressed patients and 30 normal volunteers. The depressed group were selected by a psychologist or psychiatrist, using a clinical interview based on DSM-IV and Beck's score [>15], and the normal group were also selected using a clinical interview and Beck's score [<15]. Both groups were asked to do incomplete sentences test and metaphors inventory, and the relationship between mood and metaphors contents was worked out. The results showed that there was a negative correlation between mood and metaphors contents; the more depressed was an individual, the more negative was the content of metaphors. This study is in line with the theories and research on the congruency of mood and memory retrieval