Descriptive study of sleep disorders in psychiatric patientsin psychiatry OPD attertiary-level hospital

Abstract

Background: Sleep disturbances amongst those with psychiatric disorders are quite common and may occur as a primary disorder or in association with any psychiatric disorders. Aim and objective: To find out the prevalence of sleep disorders and their associated factors in psychiatric outpatients. Material and Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted among the patients presenting in the psychiatric OPD A total of 160 samples were included, and the purposive sampling technique was applied for sample collection. After written informed consent from participants, socio-demographic data were collected. The Athens Insomnia Scale (ASI) and screening symptoms of sleep disorders, were the tools applied to the participants to find out
types of sleep disorders. Result: In our study, sleep disorders were found in 65.6% of the patients presenting to psychiatric OPD. Insomnia was the most common finding, accounting for 57.5% of the participants. Narcolepsy was found in 11.4%, whereas parasomnia was found in 20.5%; periodic limb movement disorder/restless leg syndrome (PLMD/RLS) in 18.2%; disturbed circadian rhythm was found in 9.1%; and sleep-related breathing disorder was found in 18.18% of the participants. Patients diagnosed with mood disorders (80%) and primary headache disorders (82.9%) had more sleep problems compared to other diagnoses. Conclusion: This study was the first in Nepal to assess the prevalence of sleep disorders in psychiatric outpatients. Our study emphasizes the importance of careful evaluation of sleep problems for proper management of the psychiatric patients