Adolescent Sleep Disruption: Implications for Psychiatric Morbidity

Adolescence marks a critical developmental period characterized by rapid brain maturation and heightened vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. This review underscores the pivotal role of sleep in adolescent development and its bidirectional relationship with mental health. We identify how genetic and long- and short-term environmental factors link sleep disturbance to psychiatric vulnerability. The review emphasizes the potential of transdiagnostic frameworks that consider sleep abnormalities as core features across various psychiatric conditions. Interventions targeting sleep, both behavioral and pharmacological, have shown promise in improving mental health outcomes and vice versa. We advocate for integrated, developmentally informed approaches to treating psychiatric disorders, considering sleep as both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target. By reframing adolescent sleep disruption as a key factor in psychiatric morbidity, we call for multidisciplinary research to disentangle causal pathways and promote resilience through early sleep-focused interventions.