Early sleep psychiatric intervention for acute insomnia: implications from a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder

Insomnia is a common problem among patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and patients suffering from acute insomnia with psychiatric comorbidity are more likely to develop chronic insomnia without appropriate intervention. Here we report a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder with acute insomnia, successfully treated with early sleep psychiatric non-pharmacological intervention. The augmentation of medication runs a risk of exacerbating daytime impairment. Clinicians usually prescribe medication, such as antidepressants and hypnotics without reflections for such complaints. However, the use of these sedative agents is often problematic, especially when patients have kept a good QOL activity in daily life. The rapid recovery from acute insomnia in this case suggests that the appropriate use of actigraphy is a favorable non-pharmacological intervention in acute insomnia.