Insomnia in Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract

Insomnia is a common feature of mental illness and data have emerged indicating that sleep disturbance can be a risk factor for developing a psychiatric disorder and for worsening of pre-existing mental illness. Management of insomnia without accounting for underlying psychiatric disorders can be expected to result in suboptimal outcomes. Although associations between insomnia and mental illness are likely bidirectional, evidence suggests that treating comorbid insomnia can improve sleep and psychiatric outcomes. This chapter reviews the prevalence and features of insomnia in patients with frequently encountered psychiatric disorders, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance-use disorders, and psychotic disorders, as well as specific treatment strategies where applicable. Further study of the subtleties of sleep disturbance among patients with different mental disorders may elucidate the genetic, neurochemical, and neurophysiological mechanisms underlying overlapping syndromes of insomnia and psychiatric illness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)