Sleep Complications and Treatments

What was Discovered about the Topic?

Goldsmith et al. sought to discover ways to resolve sleep deprivation due to psychiatric disorders. By discussing disorders such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, psychotic disorders, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and sleep panic, they were able to dig deeper into the issues that cause sleep deficiencies; as well as work to find treatments. By researching all of these disorders they were able to further dissect what is truly at the core of what affects sleep. Problems that affect sleeping were discovered such as, psychiatric illness, substance abuse, primary sleep disorder, and psychiatric medications. These are just a few of the sleeping disorders named, as they seem to be the most prominent on the list.

Was the Conclusion Justified by the Evidence?

A patient must be assessed before a decision can be made about what type of plan should be made for them. The main point to the article is directly told when Goldsmith et al. stated “the message is: Be comprehensive in assessment” (p. 859). It was concluded from the article that various treatments may work, but they should be acted on according to the diagnosis. An example of this would be the treatment for sleep deprivation from panic attacks, which would include a different plan than if the person were suffering from depression. The same article states that “exercise to make one more tired; relaxation techniques to help stop racing thoughts; or sleep hygiene guidelines” (p. 854) as well as trying “Pharmacological interventions” (p. 854) could really help in sleep deprivation areas.

What are Alternative Explanations

Another alternative explanation for sleep deprivation may be depression. As stated by Borberly and Wirz Justice (1982) “the impairment in sleep onset and sleep continuity is attributed to the reduced sleep propensity, a consequence of the low level of process S.”(p. 66f) While someone is suffering from depression, it’s very difficult to treat the patient for sleep deprivation, as the lack of sleep may have something to do with the depression itself. In Biological Study, the article written suggests that “Manipulations of the sleep-wake cycle, whether of duration (total or partial sleep deprivation [SD]) or timing (partial SD, phase advance), have profound and rapid effects on depressed mood” (Wirz-Justice & Hoofdakker, 1999). One can take from this, that perhaps the amount of sleep a patient gets a night, or does not get, is what is affecting their mood. This also suggests that it can be used as a treatment. Perhaps by manipulating the sleeping pattern, to account for too much or too little sleep, it will help certain chemical imbalances in the brain.

Compare and Contrast Topics from Class

This concept relates to the topic of emotions and motivation. Sleep deprivation certainly correlates with emotion and motivation because they are tightly wound together. Lack of sleep can affect people emotionally by not only depressing them but cognitively as well. It can also affect the heart, causing heart disease, and high blood pressure. Weight control can become an issue if the lack of sleep is serious enough, and this is affected by being too tired to be active or physical. It has been shown in studies almost everywhere that exercise can significantly improve a person’s mood, and lack of motivation because of sleep deprivation does play a role in that. Unfortunately this causes a sort of cycle that can only be remedied by gaining more hours of sleep, whether it’s during regular sleeping periods or naps throughout the day. More sleep can help considerably in bettering someone’s mood by giving them enough energy to feel motivated to tackle certain activities that may help increase their endorphins.

The Personal Importance of the Article

The personal importance of this article is that by reading it, one is able to understand the importance of gaining the correct amount of sleep. It is also helpful because of the information it provides that allows the reader to take the proper precautions to avoid the problems that sleep deprivation causes. The article is also incredibly beneficial based on the amount of information in it to understand the symptoms of anxiety, depression, and psychotic disorders. It’s helpful because if someone is feeling any of these symptoms, they may know the proper action to take after reading it.

The Public Importance of the Article

The public importance of the article is how vital it is to assess and diagnose correctly. In order to make an educated decision about what the medical plan should be for the patient at hand, one must have credible knowledge of the symptoms being displayed. Unfortunately there are many different aspects that have to be taken into consideration before anything should take place, and one of the biggest issues that should be taken into consideration would be making sure that if there is an issue that has to do with a psychotic disorder, it needs to be accurately diagnosed or else the plan to medicate could be the completely wrong idea and the patient will be the one who suffers. This article is especially important for the public to be aware that a patient’s medical history is absolutely necessary and must be accounted for before beginning any type of treatment.

Ethical Violations

The only unethical procedure found in the article is when use of alcohol to medicate panic disorder is discussed. It’s more than obvious that alcohol should not be consumed to medicate physical or mental problems, the consequences could be dire. Use of alcohol to medicate is unethical as it could lead to dependency for the person using it. The use of it could be eliminated by using another type of prescribed medication to achieve the same results as the alcohol would. Unfortunately, these drugs can also become addictive, but by being used properly along with proper dosage they could be highly beneficial and ethically sound.

Relating to Different Cultures and Ethnic Groups

The topic of sleep deprivation affecting the lives of people with certain disorders relates to all cultures and ethnic groups. Though their ideas of medicating may vary, the chemical way that other cultures are made up are all the same. Human beings obviously do not vary genetically, unless of course there is some sort of disorder. For the most part, diagnosing someone is a pretty broad field and requires the same amount of knowledge for every culture. The only difference may be the way that other cultures approach medicating a certain symptom. The anxiety disorders that are felt by the American population are usually dealt with by using prescription drugs, whereas in a more health-conscious society, a holistic way of healing may be considered.

What was Learned by the Article

The article was very informative, especially about the assessing of people with psychotic disorders and sleep deprivation. It was helpful in spreading what knowledge is necessary to combat these problems and diagnose them as well. Although the treatments are minimal and include trying different prescription medications, it is still a well-written article that covers the bases of what is necessary to know.

References

Borbely, A., & Wirz-Justice, A. (1982). Sleep, sleep deprivation and depression: A hypothesis derived from a model of sleep regulation. Human Neurobiology, 1(3), 205-210.

Goldsmith, J., Casola, P., & Varenbut, M. (2006). Sleep Complications in Depression, Anxiety, and Psychotic Disorders and Their Treatment. Psychiatric Annals, 36(12), 853-859. http://www.oatc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/sleep.complications.in_.depression.anxiety..psychotic.disorders.pdf

Wirz-Justice, A., & Hoofdakker, R. (1999). Sleep deprivation in depression: what do we know, where do we go?. Biological Psychiatry, 46(4), 445-453. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article