Common Mental
Health Issues

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Recognizing Adolescent Sleeping Disorders

Primary Sleep Disorders: are differentiated from other sleep disturbances caused by factors, such as another mental disorder, medical disorder or substance use.

Types Of Sleeping Disorders

Dyssomnias: disorders relating to the amount, quality, and timing of sleep.

Primary Insomnia
  • Subjective symptom of inadequate sleep quantity and quality
  • Difficulty falling asleep or maintaining sleep
  • Chronic insomnia may produce poor concentration and a low level of energy
  • Decreased sensation of well-being and poor productivity
  • Sleep does not feel restorative
  • Distress may lead to a cycle of frustration and insomnia
Primary Hypersomnia
  • Require more sleep (about 12 hour) despite long and good sleep
  • usually require naps in the daytime, and are not refreshed by short naps
Narcolepsy
  • Excessive daytime sleepiness with irresistible daytime sleep attacks
  • Sleep paralysis, in which the individual awakens unable to move
  • Cataplexy, such as wobbly knees, dizziness that may progress to sudden falls following a strongly experienced emotion
  • Hypnagogic hallucinations
  • Feeling of refreshment after a sleep attack
Parasomnias: are abnormal behaviors or physiological events that occur during the process of sleep or sleep-wake transitions.

Nightmare Disorder
  • Repeated occurrence of frightening dreams that lead to awakenings from sleep
  • Become fully awake, oriented and alert
  • Significant distress or occupational functioning
  • Occur during REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stage
Sleep Terror Disorder
  • Recurrent episodes of abrupt awakening from sleep, during first third of night
  • Child wakes with scream, cry
  • Intense physiological arousal (increased heart rate, profuse sweating, pupils dilated)
  • Difficult to comfort the child
  • Very limited or no memory of the episode
  • Episodes cause significant distress/impairment in social/occupational functioning
Sleepwalking Disorder
  • Repeated episodes of rising from bed during sleep and walking about
  • Child leaves bed and walks around; can be like an automaton
  • Occurs during stages of Slow Wave Sleep
  • No memory of it the next day
  • Within several minutes after awakening, no impairment of mental activity/behavior
  • Distress or impairment in social/occupational other areas
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