PSYCHIATRIC AND POLYSOMNOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES

Background: We evaluated phychiatrically 100 subjects, who were referr ed to a sleep laboratory in a general hospital because of sleep compla ints. Methods: All subjects were interviewed using a Structured Clinic al Interview for DSM-III-R and underwent one night of standard polysom nography (PSG) examination. Results: Forty three percent of the popula tion had at least one Axis I DSM-III-R disorder. High rate of depressi ve mood disorder (24%) was observed in our sample, in contrast to low prevalence of alcohol and drug abuse (4%). Our results of a Israeli po pulation are different from the United States studies in respect to al cohol and drug abuse. Furthermore, 11% of patients with PSG diagnosis exhibited comorbid psychiatric disorder. Conclusion: it appears that i ndividuals with sleep complaints have high rate of psychiatric mobidit y, especially mood disorders. Limitation: The rapid eye movement (REM) latency, a biological marker for depression, was not invesigated. Cli nical Relevance: it seems that both PSG and psychiatric evaluation of sleep disturbance are of importance for appropriate therapeutic strate gy for individuals with sleep complaints, especially in those with fea tures of suspected depressive mood disorders. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scienc e B.V.