SLEEP-DEPRIVATION IN SOCIAL PHOBIA AND GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER

Background: Sleep deprivation has been shown to improve depressive sym ptoms in some patients with major depressive disorder, but it has not been tested in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or soc ial phobia (SP). Methods: To determine if sleep deprivation altered an xiety or depressive symptoms in patients with GAD (n = 7) or SP (n = 8 ), we sleep deprived patients and normal controls (n = 18) for one nig ht. Results: Out one measure of anxiety, GAD patients improved compare d with controls, but there were otherwise no significant change differ ences between controls and SP or GAD patients. Conclusions: The lack o f benefit is consistent with previous findings that sleep deprivation provides no benefit to patients with other anxiety disorders. Sleep de privation may be a biological intervention that distinguishes anxiety from affective disorders. (C) 1998 Society of Biological Psychiatry.