Psychopharmacology Discussion

 

 

Sleep-wake disorders are defined by disturbances to a person’s sleep patterns. Sleep disruptions impact physical, mental and emotional health. There are 10 groups of sleep-wake disorders described in the DSM-5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2013): insomnia, hypersomnolence disorder, narcolepsy, breathing-related sleep disorders, circadian rhythm sleep-wake disorders, non-rapid eye movement sleep arousal disorders, nightmare disorder, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, restless legs syndrome, and substance/medication-induced sleep disorder.

The two key symptoms of a sleep disorder are fatigue and trouble focusing. People with mental health disorders like depression often have co-occurring sleep-wake disorders. It is critical that the clinician conduct an in-depth assessment when a client presents with a sleep-wake disorder, to include among other questions the following: nutrition, energy drink and other supplement/stimulant use, exercise, trauma history, technology use patterns, social and familial relationship health, and medical history with medication history.

Reference: American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-5). Washington, DC: Author.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Consider the following scenario:

Alex, a male African American adolescent aged 14, has come to therapy because he is experiencing the symptoms of a sleep-wake disorder. His sleep-wake disorder is disrupting his school work, causing absenteeism from school, and is negatively impacting his social engagements due to an increase in irritability and irrational thinking.

Write out a mini script showing what you, the counselor, might say to Alex.

Respond to the following prompts using your mini script.

• Provide four potential questions you might ask about Alex’s current sleep hygiene.
• Explain the role of counseling alongside sedative hypnotics.
• Explain the long-term consequences of a sleep-wake disorder.
• Include an empathetic reflection to Alex.

• REQUIRED READINGS

  Sinacola, R. S., Peters-Strickland, T., & Wyner, J. D. (2020). Basic psychopharmacology for mental health professionals (3rd ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson.

  • Chapter 11, “Treatment of Sleep Disorders”

  Borel, B. (2013, August 14). What’s the connection between sleep and mental health? A Q&A with circadian neuroscientist Russell Foster [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://blog.ted.com/the-connection-between-sleep-…

  REQUIRED MEDIA

  TED (2018, June). Dan Kwartler: What causes insomnia? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_kwartler_what_causes…Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 5 minutes.

  OPTIONAL RESOURCES

  Bonnet, M.H., & Arand, D.L. (2019). Behavioral and pharmacologic therapies for chronic insomnia in adults. UpToDate. Retrieved from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/behavioral-and-p…

  National Sleep Foundation (n.d.). Sleep disorders. Retrieved June 11, 2019 from https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders