Fwd: Title: New Guidelines Issued For Improvement Of Insomnia Diagnosis, Treatment 5/24/01
LyndaNP
Subject: Title: New Guidelines Issued For Improvement Of Insomnia
Diagnosis, Treatment 5/24/01
From: LyndaNP <Lyn...@bigfoot.com>
Newsgroups: alt.support.depression.manic
soc.support.depression.manic
Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 07:31:01 -0400
From:
http://www.docguide.com/dg.nsf/PrintPrint/84EE6677EA98585085256A07005099
DE
Title: New Guidelines Issued For Improvement Of Insomnia Diagnosis,
Treatment
Doctor's Guide
March 6, 2001
DETROIT, MI -- March 6, 2001 -- An international panel of sleep experts
issued new insomnia management guidelines, published in this month's
issue of the International Journal of Clinical Practice, to address the
underdiagnosis and insufficient treatment of the common sleep disorder.
The guidelines were developed in response to a lack of awareness of
insomnia, despite its high prevalence. In fact, most Americans have
never initiated a conversation about sleep problems with a doctor, and
nearly two-thirds say doctors have not asked how well they sleep,
according to a recent National Sleep Foundation survey.
"Recognizing that insomnia is a serious medical disorder and obtaining a
thorough diagnosis are the first steps toward overcoming this disorder,"
said lead author Thomas Roth, Ph.D., the director of research and
division head of the Sleep Disorders and Research Center at Henry Ford
Health System in Detroit. "After a proper diagnosis is made, the
guidelines suggest that the combination of behavioral therapies and a
medication that addresses the limitations of older sleeping pills offers
the most successful results for managing insomnia."
The guidelines, titled Consensus for the Management of Insomnia in the
New Millennium, recommend that a proper diagnosis for insomnia includes
a physical exam and comprehensive medical and sleep history. Physicians
should investigate various possible causes of sleeplessness, such as
other medical and psychiatric disorders and poor sleep habits, before
initiating treatment.
Once a diagnosis has been made, the guidelines state that physicians
should establish a tailored treatment plan that includes a sleep
medication classified as a benzodiazepine-receptor agonist, such as
zaleplon. In particular, the guidelines note that this medication does
not cause the side effects associated with older medications, such as
dependence and next-day residual effects. Therefore, people can take the
medication only after experiencing sleeplessness, even in the middle of
the night, rather than in anticipation of sleep problems -- a new goal
in insomnia management, according to the guidelines.
"The fear of a 'hangover effect' the next day, along with the risk of
dependence associated with many sleeping pills, may have kept some
patients from seeking treatment," said Dr. Roth. "These concerns can be
eliminated by combining newer medications with careful monitoring by a
physician."
The guidelines were drafted in consultation with 13 of the top sleep
researchers in the world, who convened last July at the XXIInd Congress
of the Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum (CINP) in
Brussels, a meeting ground for over 1,000 scientists and clinicians from
45 countries dedicated to excellence in the field of
neuropsychopharmacology. In addition to Dr. Roth, the authors include
Goran Hajak, M.D., Ph.D., Georg-August Universitat, Germany, and T.
Bedirhan Ustun, M.D., Ph.D., World Health Organization, Switzerland.
Insomnia affects more than 84 million Americans, and is characterized by
difficulty initiating or maintaining refreshing, restorative sleep.
Insomnia is associated with dramatic impairments of psychosocial
function and quality of life. In particular, people with insomnia report
poorer physical and mental well-being, including higher levels of
depression and anxiety. When compared with those who do not report sleep
problems, people with insomnia report significant alterations in their
concentration, memory, ability to accomplish daily tasks, and enjoyment
of interpersonal relationships. In addition, people with insomnia
generally have more medical complaints, and seek medical care more often
than people without insomnia.
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LyndaNP
Reality isn't the way you wish things to be, nor the way
they appear to be, but the way they actually are.
- Robert J. Ringer