Suicidal Thoughts Linked to Sleep Problems in Patients With Early Psychosis

People with early psychosis (those who have had only a single episode of psychosis) who experience persistent sleep problems are nearly 14 times as likely to report suicidal ideation as those with early psychosis who do not experience sleep problems, according to areport in Schizophrenia Bulletin.“[I]nsomnia may represent an important treatment target in psychosis,” wrote Brian J. Miller, M.D., Ph.D., of Augusta University and colleagues. Additionally, the “findings provide … evidence that formal assessment and treatment of insomnia and sleep disturbance is relevant to the clinical c are of patients with early psychosis as a predictor of suicidal ideation and symptom severity.”By some estimates, up to 50% of people with schizophrenia will experience insomnia over the course of their illness. Several studies have also pointed to associations between insomnia and more severe symptoms of schizophrenia. Miller and colleagues wanted to know if the same was true of people experiencing early psychosis.The researchers analyzed data from 403 people who had participated in theRecovery After an Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) trial —a large-scale research initiative testing coordinated specialty care treatments for reducing symptoms and improving quality of life for patients with first-episode psychosis. The participants were aged 15 to 40 years; had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenifo rm disorder, brief psychotic disorder, or ps...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: early psychosis ideation insomnia PANSS RAISE schizophrenia Schizophrenia Bulletin sleep problems suicidal thoughts Source Type: research