Psychiatric Illness and Parasomnias: a Systematic Review.
Flavie Waters, Umberto Moretto, Thien Thanh Dang‐Vu
Current Psychiatry Reports July 2017 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-017-0789-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | People with psychiatric disorders, as reported in 19 identified articles |
| Keywords | Eating disorder Nightmare disorder Paralysis Somnambulism |
| Key findings | The authors report elevated rates of parasomnias in psychiatric disorders, with average prevalences of 38.9% for nightmares, 22.3% for sleep paralysis, 9.9% for sleep-related eating disorder, 8.5% for sleepwalking, and 3.8% for REM sleep behavior disorder. They argue that this association is not fully explained by psychotropic medications, which were only one of several risk factors including other sleep disorders, medical comorbidities, and substance abuse. |
Abstract
Little is known about the presence of parasomnias such as nightmare disorder, sleep paralysis, REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), and sleep-related eating disorders (SRED) in people with mental illness. A predominant view suggests that psychotropic medications might be contributing to parasomnias. This article summarizes knowledge regarding the relationships between psychiatric disorders and parasomnias, and possible confounds. A systematic search of the literature in the past 10 years identified 19 articles. There were significantly elevated rates of parasomnias in psychiatric disorders (average prevalence of nightmares was 38.9%, sleep paralysis 22.3%, SRED 9.9%, sleepwalking 8.5%, and RBD 3.8%). Medication usage was only one of many risk factors (other sleep disorders, medical comorbidities, and substance abuse) which were associated with parasomnias. A strong association exists between mental illness and parasomnias which is not fully explained by medications. Prospective longitudinal studies are needed to develop a better understanding of the unique and shared variance from multiple risk factors.
Citations in the library
Cited by 9
- Nightmare Disorder and Isolated Sleep Paralysis Neurotherapeutics November 23, 2020
- Psychosocial treatments for nightmares in adults and children: a systematic review BMC Psychiatry April 21, 2023
- Associations between self‐reported parasomnias and psychiatric illness in 370,000 patients with sleep disorders Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences August 30, 2024
- Associations between sleep variables and ostensibly paranormal experiences and paranormal beliefs: A scoping review. British Journal of Psychology November 1, 2023
- Sleep, Nightmares and Schizophrenia Journal of Sleep Disorders and Management November 3, 2017
and 4 more in the library
Cites 13
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- Prevalence of Nightmare Disorder in Psychiatric Outpatients Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2013
- State Dissociation, Human Behavior, and Consciousness Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry September 1, 2011
- Nightmares in Patients with Psychosis: The Relation with Sleep, Psychotic, Affective, and Cognitive Symptoms The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry August 1, 2015
- Isolated sleep paralysis and hypnic hallucinations in schizophrenia Indian Journal of Psychiatry October 1, 2015
and 8 more in the library