
- Vol 40, Issue 10
Investigating the Prevalence of Sleep Disorders in Patients With First-Episode Psychosis
What is the nature of the relationship between psychosis and sleep disorders?
CASE VIGNETTE
“Mr Deuce” is a 22-year-old man with no psychiatric history who presents to the emergency department with his family. He is a senior in college and has not been sleeping well. He has been experiencing initial insomnia and has been taking NyQuil for the past 2 weeks with minimal benefit.
According to his sister, the patient has exhibited delusional thinking, stating that he thinks he is a superhero and his roommates at college are plotting to get him kicked out of school. He has also had a paranoid ideation that his dormitory room is wiretapped. Upon admission to the emergency department, he told the interviewer that he would be meeting the president the next day.
The patient also has periods in which his speech is mostly incoherent. His laboratory studies, including a urine drug screen, were unremarkable. He was diagnosed with a first episode of psychosis and stabilized on risperidone, titrated to 3 mg daily, during an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.
However, the nature of the relationship between psychosis and sleep disorders is unclear; it may be a primary component of the illness itself and/or a secondary consequence of behavioral or iatrogenic factors.5
The Current Study
The Physical Health Assistance in Early Psychosis (PHAstER) study was a randomized clinical trial of a physical health nurse intervention for patients with
Participants were diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5. Insomnia was defined by a score of ≥ 15 on the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Poor sleep quality was determined by a score of > 5 on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Psychopathology was assessed with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Scale for Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS).
Functioning was assessed with the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale (SOFAS), and the Simple Physical Health Questionnaire (SIMPAQ) was used to measure physical activity. The authors used binary logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios for demographic and clinical predictors of either insomnia or poor sleep quality.
Seventy-seven individuals participated in the PHAstER trial, of whom 70 (91%) had baseline data on insomnia. The mean age was 19.4 years, 53% of participants were male, and 44% had a diagnosis of schizophreniform disorder.
The prevalence of clinical insomnia at study baseline was 43% (n = 30). Individuals with insomnia had more severe total psychopathology (mean BPRS total score, 63 vs 55) and negative symptoms (mean SANS score, 24 vs 14). Positive symptoms, demographic factors, functioning, and physical activity were not associated with baseline clinical insomnia.
At 6 months, ISI data were available for 42 individuals, and the prevalence of insomnia decreased to 21%. Those individuals with insomnia at 6 months had more severe total and positive psychopathology and lower social and occupational functioning.
Poor sleep quality at baseline was present in 87% of the cohort, and there were no associated demographic, clinical, or physical health factors. At 6 months, only 43% of the cohort completed the PSQI, of whom 67% had poor sleep quality. Similar to the data for insomnia, individuals with poor sleep quality at 6 months had more severe total and positive psychopathology and lower social and occupational functioning.
Study Conclusions
The authors concluded that there was a high prevalence of poor sleep quality and insomnia in patients with FEP. Study strengths included the longitudinal design and that participants had minimal antipsychotic exposure at baseline. The primary study limitation was the appreciable attrition of data on sleep at the 6-month follow-up.
There is some evidence supporting sleep hygiene strategies8 and cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in FEP.9 By contrast, there is limited evidence for using specific psychopharmacological agents for insomnia in this patient population.
The Bottom Line
Findings provide evidence that sleep problems are common at the onset of psychotic illness. Sleep disorders represent a potential therapeutic target in psychosis to improve psychopathology and functioning.
Dr Miller is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Augusta University in Georgia. He is a member of the Editorial Board and schizophrenia section chief for Psychiatric Times®. He receives research support from Augusta University, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Stanley Medical Research Institute.
References
1. Reeve S, Sheaves B, Freeman D.
2. Poulin J, Daoust AM, Forest G, et al.
3. Laskemoen JF, Büchmann C, Barrett EA, et al.
4. Subramaniam M, Abdin E, Shahwan S, et al.
5. Chiu VW, Harvey RH, Sloan NB, et al.
6. O’Donoghue B, Mifsud N, Castagnini E, et al.
7. Gannon L, Pearson N, Tsiglopoulos J, et al.
8. Griffiths C, Hina F, Pollard L, et al.
9. Freeman D, Waite F, Startup H, et al.
Articles in this issue
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Examining Common—and Not-So-Common—Comorbiditiesalmost 2 years ago
Sleight of Handalmost 2 years ago
Patients Often Lack Choice Regarding Care Via Telehealthalmost 2 years ago
Cannabis, Psychosis, and the Legal Implications: Chicken or Egg?almost 2 years ago
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