![]() This is particularly concerning for vulnerable populations, like older adults, who may be at increased risk of harms from medications. Despite increased access, most patients with insomnia receive sleeping medications instead of CBT-I. Over the last 10 years, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) evidence-based psychotherapy training program has trained nearly 1000 providers to deliver CBT-I in hospitals and clinics nationwide. Up to one third of the general population struggles with chronic insomnia, greatly increasing the risk for chronic pain and inflammation, depression and suicide, and cognitive decline. Insomnia is a prevalent and debilitating public health concern. According to Karlin, CBT-I's effectiveness and feasibility for implementation suggest that there is considerable opportunity for broad dissemination of CBT-I in other health care systems.Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a highly effective nonpharmacological intervention that is widely considered the gold standard for insomnia treatment. Department of Veterans Affairs health care system. Patients received CBT-I from therapists newly-trained in the therapy as part of the national dissemination of CBT-I in the U.S. About 83 percent of veterans reported conflict experience, including 150 who served in Vietnam and 83 who served in Iraq or Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn. The majority of participants were men, and the mean patient age was 52 years. ![]() The evaluation included a total of 405 veterans with diagnosed insomnia disorder who received CBT-I in routine primary care and mental health treatment settings. About 15 to 20 percent of adults have short-term insomnia disorder, and more than half of veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan report symptoms of insomnia. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine reports that about 10 percent of people have chronic insomnia disorder, which involves a sleep disturbance and associated daytime symptoms that have been present for at least three months. "This study emphasizes that effectively treating insomnia can be life-changing and potentially life-saving for veterans who may be struggling with problems such as depression, suicidal thoughts and posttraumatic stress disorder." "Chronic insomnia is especially common among veterans who have put their lives at risk in service to our country," said American Academy of Sleep Medicine President Dr. Study results are published in the February issue of the journal Sleep. In addition to improving insomnia and reducing suicidal thoughts, CBT-I led to improvements in depression and quality of life, which suggests that focusing greater attention on detecting and treating insomnia could produce substantial public health benefits. "The results suggest that effective treatment of insomnia with CBT-I is an important target for reducing suicide risk among veterans and others at risk for suicide," said Karlin.Īccording to Karlin, the wide-ranging effects of CBT-I that were found in the study were eye-opening. Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office at the time the evaluation was conducted. Karlin served as National Mental Health Director for Psychotherapy and Psychogeriatrics in the U.S. "It was striking to see that the reduction in insomnia severity was associated with reduced suicidal ideation even after controlling for improvement in depression severity," said co-lead author Bradley Karlin, PhD, ABPP, who is currently Chief of Mental Health and Aging at the Education Development Center, Inc. ![]() This relationship remained significant after controlling for potential confounders such as change in depression severity. Further analysis found that the reduction in insomnia severity achieved during CBT-I was associated with a concurrent decrease in the odds of suicidal ideation. Results show that suicidal ideation decreased by 33 percent following up to six sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |