NEW YORK, Sep 16 (Reuters Health) -- More than half of people who complained to their doctors that they couldn't sleep were diagnosed with a mental illness -- most often depression, according to new research out of Washington State University in Pullman.
The study, published in the journal Clinical Drug Investigation, reports that more than 3 million people per year complained to their doctor about insomnia -- a sleep disorder marked by difficulty falling asleep -- in the years 1995 and 1996. Of these, just 18.8% of people were actually diagnosed with insomnia.
Yet 57.4% were diagnosed with a non-sleep related mental illness. Of these, about 30% were diagnosed with depression, the researchers found. By contrast, about 16% of people in the general population who do not report difficulty sleeping have mental illnesses, the study authors point out.
"The key finding is that insomnia is a serious problem which should signal patients to seek medical advice in order to identify the underlying cause of their sleeplessness," lead researcher Tracy L. Skaer, assistant dean of the College of Pharmacy at Washington State University, told Reuters Health. Oftentimes, insomnia is masking serious conditions including depression, other mental illnesses, or pain caused by diseases like arthritis, she explains.
When it comes to the link between depression and insomnia, "it's the chicken and egg story," she comments. "You can't tell if insomnia is the cause of the depression or if depression is inducing the insomnia, but the new findings help to clarify a link between the two conditions," she adds.
"My advice is not to take insomnia lightly, it could be a symptom of a very serious underlying problem. If it remains a persistent problem, seek advice from a healthcare professional," Skaer suggests.
"Today, there are a variety of prescription medications available to help treat insomnia, which are not habit forming" Skaer notes. Plus, there are many medications available that can help treat the underlying causes of the sleeplessness including depression, she adds.
