Thursday, May 22, 2014

Psychological Sleep Disorders


Sleep disorders affect both the physical and mental health of humans. Poor sleep affects the daytime mood and performance of a person. Sound sleep is a prerequisite for living a happy and stress free life. Psychological sleep disorders fall into many classes such as bipolar disorder, depression, or schizophrenia.

Bipolar disorder was previously known as manic depression. Bipolar disorder is characterized by energized or activated states of moods in addition to a general mood of depression. The mood changes are often unpredictable and without any apparent reason. The intensity and duration of the mood swings vary from person to person. People with bipolar disorder have a greater tendency to commit suicide than persons suffering from other kind of depressions. This disorder cannot be fully cured, but it can be managed to a certain extent.

Depression, also called melancholia, is a state of sadness that has reached to the point of being disruptive to an individual?s social functioning and activities of daily living. The treatment of depression varies from person to person. Medication and psychotherapy are the two common modes of treatment, often used in conjunction with each other. When the conventional chemical treatments fail, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) can be tried. Alternative treatments to depression include exercise and the use of vitamins, herbs or other nutritional supplements.

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by exaggerated ego and personality turbulences creating social and occupational dysfunctions. An effective treatment for the symptoms of this disorder is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Psychological sleep disorders can lead even to serious mental illnesses such as psychosis, if not well attended for.

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