Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders "Sleep the wide blessing seemed to me, distemper's worst calamity"- Coleridge
	Edvard Munch "The Scream" 1893 There is absolutely no question that mental illness negatively impacts individuals, their families and society. A substantial proportion of our global population suffers from a diagnosable condition, and about 30,000 suicides occur in the United States yearly.  A substantial amount of early sleep research was devoted to investigations of sleep among patients with various psychiatric disorders.  Dreams among afflicted patients were also studied.  It can be argued that sleep disorders medicine actually originated from a hybrid of psychiatry and neurology.   It is well established that sleep and circadian rhythm disorders, and psychiatric conditions are bidirectional - complaints about sleep (insomnia or hypersomnia) are extremely common among people with these conditions.  It is therefore important that treatment focus upon both sleep and psychiatric disorders.                                     Many people with primary sleep and/or circadian rhythm disorders have been inappropriately diagnosed with psychiatric conditions. Patients with narcolepsy have been diagnosed with mood and/or psychotic disorders primarily due to mistaking symptoms of REM sleep dysregulation with psychiatric symptoms - sadly, even some have been diagnosed with schizophrenia.  It is not uncommon for patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome to be mistakenly diagnosed with depression because of some similarities between the two conditions (e.g., excessive daytime sleepiness, concentration problems, depressed mood).  Some people with episodic parasomnias (such as sleepwalking) have been diagnosed with personality disorders. And there have been many children and adolescents diagnosed with ADD or ADHD who actually have primary sleep-wake disorders. Please be advised that this process can work in the other direction as well. One example would include a teenage male with an oppositional defiant disorder who tries to pass off his problem(s) as a primary sleep-wake disorder - but gets caught in the middle of the act by an astute clinician.  The patient underwent a course of outpatient problem & solution focused psychotherapy, eventually performed well at school, and also learned to get along with peers and family members. Only a brief description of some characteristics of sleep findings & a few psychiatric disturbances are included. If you are experiencing symptoms addressed here please do not hesitate to call your doctor or therapist. Findings With Some Conditions Attention Deficit Disorder - Snoring, sleep apnea and movements during sleep; Major Depression - Deep sleep and REM sleep can be altered; Bipolar Disorder - Reduced propensity to sleep; Anxiety Disorders - Difficulties falling and remaining asleep; Eating Disorders - Parasomnias (e.g., "sleep eating"); Alcohol Abuse - Light sleep, restless sleep, increased wakefulness at night; Dissociative Disorders - Parasomnias (e.g., sleepwalking); and Dementias - Circadian Rhythm Disorders, Sleep Apnea, Daytime Sleepiness.