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Published on: September 22, 2020
Complex dream-enacting behavior in sleepwalking
1Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Martin Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg Julius-Kuehn-Str.7 06097, Halle, Saale, Germany. frank.pillmann@medizin.uni-halle.de
Objective:
Currently, dream-enacting behaviors are viewed as occurring typically in association with a REM-sleep behavior disorder. In some cases, dream-like mentation is found also in non-REM parasomnia.
Methods:
We report a case of complex and dramatic sleepwalking behavior in a 26-year-old adult male who tied his 4-month-old daughter to the clothesline in the attic of his house.
Results:
The explanation of this seemingly senseless behavior, which was related to psychosocial stressors, was found in a detailed dream-like mentation that was reported by the patient. At the same time, an organic factor, namely, a worsening of the patient's asthma, was identified as the cause of an increased fragmentation of sleep.
Conclusions:
In some cases of non-REM parasomnia, detailed dream-like mentation may act as a bridge between psychosocial stressors and the specific parasomnic behavior.
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