Sleep in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Sleep disorders have been recognized for millennia as a common complication of medical and neurologic disease. Virtually all neuropsychiatric disorders carry with them the potential for disturbances of sleep. When such complications do exist, they are typically associated with decreased quality of life, increased morbidity, and, in some cases, increased mortality rates. The prevalence of major sleep disorders among neurologic patients is high, but the rate of detection and treatment is quite low. The major sleep-related problems in this population can be divided into six areas: insomnia, circadian rhythm (sleep-wake schedule) disorders, hypersomnia, sleep-related breathing disorders, motor disturbances in sleep, and parasomnias. In this brief review, general clinical principles, diagnostic assessment and management guidelines for each of these areas are considered and their specific manifestations in neuropsychiatric disorders identified.