Sleep Disorders Frequent, Undertreated in Early Psychosis
Some 80% of outpatients with early psychosis had at least 1 comorbid sleep disorder, a recent study found, yet more than two-thirds of them did not receive treatment for their sleep problems. Researchers reported their findings online in Schizophrenia Bulletin.
“These were not minor sleep issues,” researchers wrote. “The majority of disorders were rated as severe in their chronicity, frequency, and distress or impairment.”
Patients with comorbid psychosis and sleep disorder had a lower quality of life, the study team reported.
“The patients with sleep disorders had more severe paranoia, hallucinations, cognitive disorganization, depression, and anxiety,” they wrote.
The study included 60 outpatients, aged 18 to 39 years, with nonaffective psychosis. Researchers assessed for sleep disorder presence, severity, and treatment via structured diagnostic interviews, sleep diaries, and wrist-based activity monitoring devices. They also measured psychotic experiences, mood, and psychological well-being of patients.
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Among the 80% of participants found to struggle with sleep disorders, comorbidity was high—the study identified an average 3.3 separate sleep disorders per patient. Insomnia and nightmare disorder were the most prevalent sleep disorders experienced by patients.
More than half the sleep disorders had been discussed with a clinician, yet almost three-quarters received no treatment, researchers reported. In fact, a mere 8% of patients received sleep disorder treatment based on clinical guidelines.
“Even when treatment had been received, it was rarely the recommended treatment for the sleep disorder,” researchers wrote.
“If the results generalize to the wider population of patients with psychosis,” they added, “then clinical services need to give a greater priority to sleep than they have to date.”
—Jolynn Tumolo
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