Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders

Abstract

While symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions attract the most attention from psychiatrists; sleep disturbances, although common in schizophrenia, are often overlooked or undertreated. It is estimated that 30% up to 80% of patients with schizophrenia suffer from insomnia, 15% from obstructive sleep apnea, 21% from restless leg syndrome, and 17% from a sleep-related eating disorder. Sleep disturbances have negative impact on patients’ physical health and quality of life and may aggravate neuropsychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia. This chapter serves as a concise guide for psychiatrists and other healthcare professionals to understand the assessment and management of sleep disturbances in schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. Future research is needed to elucidate the genetic and longitudinal relationship between comorbid sleep disorders and schizophrenia, to evaluate the impact of comorbid sleep disorders and their treatment on clinical and functional outcomes, and to identify novel sleep therapies for patients with schizophrenia.