Sleep disorder over time: psychiatric correlates among males

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Sleep Medicine
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Sleep disturbances, particularly insomnia, are prevalent in psychiatric populations.
• The long-term course and correlates of insomnia in psychiatric out-patients require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prospectively assess the time course of sleep disturbances in male psychiatric out-patients.
• To examine the association between insomnia, psychiatric symptomatology, diagnosis, and medication use.

Main Methods:

• An 18-month prospective study involving 85 male psychiatric out-patients and 103 male non-patients.
• Assessment of insomnia symptoms, psychiatric symptomatology, and medication use (minor tranquillizers, hypnotics).

Main Results:

• Over one-third of psychiatric patients reported frequent insomnia symptoms throughout the 18-month study period.
• Insomnia frequency and chronicity were strongly associated with the intensity of psychiatric symptoms, irrespective of diagnosis.
• Medication use was frequent among patients but showed little evidence of altering the course of insomnia.

Conclusions:

• Insomnia is a chronic and persistent issue for a significant portion of male psychiatric out-patients.
• The severity of psychiatric symptoms, rather than a specific diagnosis, is a key factor associated with chronic insomnia.
• Current pharmacological interventions like minor tranquillizers and hypnotics appear to have limited efficacy in managing the long-term course of insomnia in this population.