Relevance of sleep paralysis and hypnic hallucinations to psychiatry.
Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists March 1, 2004 DOI: 10.1046/j.1039-8562.2003.02065.x (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | 25-year-old black South African woman |
| Intervention | Diazepam |
| Dose | low-dose (exact dose not specified) |
| Duration | 6-month follow-up |
| Key findings | A patient's first episode of sleep paralysis and hypnic hallucinations was followed by paranoid beliefs and anxious mood, which resolved with reassurance, explanation, and a short course of low-dose diazepam. |
Abstract
To describe a patient who presented with psychopathology in the wake of sleep paralysis and hypnopompic hallucinations, and to discuss the importance of these phenomena to psychiatric diagnoses. Case report. A 25-year-old black South African woman developed paranoid beliefs and a sad and anxious mood in the wake of her first experience of sleep paralysis and hypnic hallucinations. She had no history of other sleep-related events. Reassurance, explanation of the physiological basis of her experience, and a short course of low-dose diazepam were provided. Her mood and sleep improved promptly and she no longer held paranoid beliefs. She did not experience further episodes of sleep paralysis or hypnic hallucinations and improvement was sustained at 6 months. It pays to probe for the core experiences or events that patients may be explaining by devising "delusions". Acute, nocturnal-onset, first-time psychopathology warrants inquiry for sleep paralysis and hypnic hallucinations. Sleep-related side-effects of psychotropic medications need to be studied more closely.