Contents

Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

Basic aspects of sleep–wake disorders 

Basic aspects of sleep–wake disorders
Chapter:
Basic aspects of sleep–wake disorders
Author(s):

Gregory Stores

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0117
Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 23 January 2022

A sound working knowledge of the diagnosis, significance, and treatment of sleep disorders is essential in all branches of clinical psychiatry. Unfortunately, however, psychiatrists and psychologists share with other specialties and disciplines an apparently universal neglect of sleep and its disorders in their training. Surveys in the United States and Europe point to the consistently meagre coverage of these topics in their courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The following account is an introductory overview of normal sleep, the effects of sleep disturbance, sleep disorders and the risk of failure to recognize them in psychiatric practice, assessment of sleep disturbance, and the various forms of treatment that are available. The aim is to provide a background for the other chapters in this section. The close links between the field of sleep disorders and psychiatry which make it essential that psychiatrists are familiar with the field are as follows: ♦ Sleep disturbance is an almost invariable feature and complication of psychiatric disorders from childhood to old age, with the risk of further reducing the individual's capacity to cope with their difficulties (see Table 4.14.1.3 for further details). ♦ Sleep disturbance can presage psychiatric disorder. ♦ Some psychotropic medications produce significant sleep disturbance. ♦ Of importance to liason psychiatry is the fact that many general medical or paediatric disorders disturb sleep sufficiently to contribute to psychological or psychiatric problems. ♦ Because of lack of familiarity with sleep disorders and their various manifestations, such disorders may well be misinterpreted as primary psychiatric disorders (or, indeed, other clinical conditions) with the result that effective treatments for the sleep disorder are unwittingly withheld (see later). Some of these points will be amplified in later sections of this chapter.

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.