Classification of sleep disorders

Abstract

The International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD-3) produced by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine is a major revision of the prior classification and was published in 2014. It is a major advance over previous versions but it is unfortunate that some of the diagnostic criteria differ from that of the American Psychiatric Association’s revised version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-V) published in 2013 which includes a smaller section entitled “Sleep Wake Disorders.” The DSM-V serves as an entry level classification, mainly for psychiatrists, and it is to be hoped that in the future the two classifications will be merged into one that will cause less confusion not only for clinicians but also for agencies that reimburse for health care and provide for treatment options. This review discusses the main features of the diagnostic entries in the ICSD-3 and presents the pharmacological treatment focus for the disorders.