Humans ; Nervous System ; physiopathology ; Schizophrenia ; physiopathology

Sleep disturbance is common in the elderly and is frequently undiagnosed. It has been estimated that 75% of adults >65 years of age has sleep disturbance and 30% of them has insomnia. The classification of insomnia has less significance in the older adults as the subtypes demonstrate significant overlap and usually treatment of the underlying disorder does not solve the problem or cure it. The elderly has multiple comorbidities and polypharmacy with a myriad of cause for insomnia. A comprehensive medical and psychiatric history together with a complete physical examination and mental state examination should be done in the evaluation of the older patient. Behavioural therapy with sleep hygiene education should be the initial treatment together with the treatment of the contributing physical and psychiatric conditions. Referral to an expert for cognitive behavioural therapy or multicomponent therapy may be necessary if the initial therapy failed to produce any improvement. If medications are needed it can be combined with behavioural therapy. Medication used should be the lowest effective dose and prescribed for short-term use of not more than 4 weeks. Medications used need to be discontinued gradually and one needs to be mindful of rebound insomnia upon withdrawal. Wherever possible, it will be ideal to avoid benzodiazepines and other sedative hypnotics as first choice for insomnia. Over the counter sleep aids which usually contain antihistamines may not be good choices as they carry significant risk of adverse events and drug interactions. Currently the safest medications for use in the elderly includes the Z-drugs (zolpidem, zopiclone), melatonin and low dose tricyclic antidepressant Doxepin.

Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; diagnosis ; therapy

Buprenorphine ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Methadone ; therapeutic use ; Naltrexone ; therapeutic use ; Narcotic Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Narcotics ; therapeutic use ; Opioid-Related Disorders ; rehabilitation

To highlight the diagnostic challenges in diagnosing a patient with schizoaffective disorder under DSM-IV-TR and to evaluate the effectiveness of changes in DSM-V in addressing these issues. Methods: We present the evolution of the diagnosis from its inception, outline its complex nosology, review the diagnostic difficulties under DSM-IV-TR and critique the proposed changes made in DSM-V. Results: A complex nosology, varied thresholds of diagnosis under DSM-IV-TR, and the inherent difficulty in obtaining a detailed longitudinal history from a patient contribute to the challenge of diagnosing a patient with schizoaffective disorder. Changes in DSM-V attempt to increase the reliability of the diagnosis by specifying and raising temporal thresholds, moving the time of disease observation away from a single episode but towards the lifetime of illness. Conclusion: Changes made in DSM-V only address a small part of the difficulties raised and clinicians will continue to face challenges in diagnosing schizoaffective disorder under DSM-V. However, there might still be value in the proposed changes under DSM-V

Objective: This paper aims to explore the possibility of using motivational interviewing (MI) as a therapy for insomnia patients. Methods: We reviewed the current practice guidelines for insomnia, and noted the issues pertaining to types of treatment, notably CBT-I. We also reviewed some studies which seem to suggest that MI treats insomnia. Results: MI is a proven technique for other psychiatric illnesses. There are currently not many studies done evaluating the efficacy of MI on insomnia. Of those published studies, they are either underpowered to draw any firm conclusions, or it is limited to a particular age group. Conclusion: There seems to be promise in the area of MI on insomnia. Given the paucity of data in this area, more research with bigger group of study participants are needed to fully conclude the effectiveness of this treatment.
Motivation ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Evidence-Based Medicine ; Humans ; Mental Disorders ; drug therapy ; Psychiatry ; Psychopharmacology

Adult ; Antisocial Personality Disorder ; Homicide ; psychology ; Humans ; Korea ; ethnology ; Male ; Mass Casualty Incidents ; psychology ; Suicide ; psychology ; United States ; Universities ; Virginia

Hypnosis can be defined as a procedure during which changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, feelings or behaviour are suggested. Hypnosis can be used to amplify whatever it is about therapy that makes it therapeutic. It permits a wide range of choices regarding where and how to intervene in the patient's problems. In this paper, we set out to examine the rationale of using hypnotherapy to manage various types of sleep disorders, and to explore the techniques, strategies and hypnotic scripts employed by various hypnotherapists. We also examine the research data available on the efficacy of hypnosis in the treatment of sleep disorders. Acute and chronic insomnia often respond to relaxation and hypnotherapy approaches, along with sleep hygiene instructions. Hypnotherapy has also helped with nightmares and sleep terrors. There are several reports of successful use of hypnotherapy for parasomnias, specifically for head and body rocking, bedwetting and sleepwalking. Hypnosis is a specialised technique, not a therapy itself, and should be used as an adjunctive intervention within a complete psychological and medical treatment package. Most of the literature is limited to case reports or studies with such a small sample that at times it is very difficult to interpret the results. There is a major placebo effect, so uncontrolled trials are of limited value. It is hard to perform a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial to evaluate hypnotherapy given that cooperation and rapport between patient and therapist is needed to achieve a receptive trance state.
Humans ; Hypnosis ; Nocturnal Enuresis ; therapy ; Parasomnias ; therapy ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; therapy