A recent study takes a look at the link between comorbid, or multiple mood and anxiety disorders occurring at the same time and insomnia.
The study involved 517 people with comorbid mood and anxiety disorders. Other groups included people with no mood or anxiety disorders, mood disorders only and anxiety disorders only.
Results show that about 60 percent of individuals with comorbid mood and anxiety disorders had at least one symptom of insomnia. About 45 percent of individuals with mood disorders only or anxiety disorders only reported insomnia.
The authors of the study, published in the journal SLEEP suggest their findings raise the important question of whether better identification and treatment of insomnia in patients with psychiatric disorders can improve long-term diagnosis.
To their knowledge, their study is the only one to examine severe insomnia symptoms and their association with the impaired daytime performance in people with multiple mood and anxiety disorders.
Depression and other mood disorders often will result in a degree of insomnia. The insomnia must be treated along with the mental health disorder. The first step is to talk to your primary care doctor. Your doctor may refer you a sleep medicine physician at an AASM-accredited sleep disorders center. Find an AASM-accredited sleep center near you.
