Li, X;
(2015)
Nocturnal Sleep Disturbances in Patients with Schizophrenia.
Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).
Abstract
Sleep disturbances are a common distressing complaint associated with adverse outcomes in many psychiatric conditions. This thesis investigates sleep disturbances in the context of psychotic disorders, particularly schizophrenia. Part one presents a systematic review, which focused on the subjective sleep disturbances in the clinical course of schizophrenia. The review explored and examined the evidence on: 1) whether subjective sleep disturbances could be predictive of the occurrence of a psychotic episode, 2) the prevalence of insomnia in patients with schizophrenia, and 3) the clinical correlates and impacts of subjective sleep disturbances in patients with schizophrenia. Part two consists of an empirical paper, which examined the prevalence of sleep disturbances, particularly frequent insomnia and frequent nightmares, and their association with the risk of suicide attempts over 8 years of follow-up in a consecutive cohort of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The results showed that sleep disturbances, especially frequent insomnia, were commonly reported in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and conferred a greater risk for suicide attempts during the follow-up period. The findings underscore the need for an enhanced clinical attention upon sleep in patients with schizophrenia. Part three is a critical appraisal of the process of undertaking this research. It provides the reflections on the literature review and further elaborates on the methodological strengths and weakness of the empirical paper. The protocol of a further proposed study is then briefly presented, followed by the discussion of the wider conceptual issues pertaining to sleep research in the context of psychotic disorders.
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Nocturnal Sleep Disturbances in Patients with Schizophrenia |
| Event: | University College London |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | Sleep, psychosis, schizophrenia, suicide |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1471164 |
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