Need for Sleep Clinics in Psychiatric Practice

Sleep medicine is a rapidly developing specialty. Detection and treatment of sleep disorders is on the rise with changing lifestyles and more awareness. Sleep disturbances are increasingly commonly encountered in psychiatric practice compared with the general population. Sleep disturbances can be secondary to the psychiatric illness or might manifest as a side effect of psychotropic medications. However, they are frequently neglected or may be misdiagnosed as a primary psychiatric disorder and treated wrongly. Psychological disturbances such as depression can also occur due to primary sleep disorders. Comorbidity of sleep disorder and psychiatric disorder can affect treatment, course of both the disorders and ultimately affect the quality of life of the patients. Specialized sleep clinics are now a part of many specialties,such as pulmonary medicine. These clinics require specific standards with respect to staff and infrastructure; in addition, they necessitate effective liaison between multiple specialties. Development of sleep clinics in psychiatry would help in better detection, assessment, and treatment of sleep disturbances in psychiatric patients as well as those with primary sleep disturbances with secondary psychological distress. Sleep clinics would also help in understanding the complex relation between sleep and psychiatric disorders through research and would help in developing more effective management techniques.