FREQUENCY OF DELAYED SLEEP PHASE SYNDROME AMONG HOSPITALIZED ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRIC-PATIENTS

Previous research seems to indicate that a substantial percentage of p atients with delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) also suffer from pers onality disorders. In the present study, we attempted to ascertain whe ther, in a population of hospitalized psychiatric patients, we would f ind a greater frequency of DSPS among patients suffering from personal ity disorders than among patients suffering from any of the other psyc hiatric disorders. Sixty-three hospitalized adolescents took part in t he study. None of them had any diagnosed medical disorders, and all we re being treated with psychiatric drugs. Ten subjects were diagnosed a s suffering from DSPS according to a sleep-wake schedule structured in terview. As hypothesized, subjects diagnosed as suffering from persona lity disorders had a significantly higher probability of also sufferin g from DSPS. Additional findings were that patients with DSPS were mor e likely to have received an Axis II diagnosis only, and were more lik ely to be diagnosed as suffering from a distinct group of disorders ch aracterized by affective lability. The latter finding may be due to th e sleepiness that accompanies DSPS. The findings of the present study suggest that there may be an interrelationship between DSPS and person ality disorders, and may lend some support to the hypothesis that inbo rn peculiarities in the sleep-wake rhythm lead to the social and funct ional difficulties characteristic of personality disorders. (C) 1998 E lsevier Science Inc.