If you're having trouble dozing at night, the resulting fatigue you feel may be the least of your problems: Insomnia may often be a symptom of a more serious mental disorder.
About a third of U.S. adults suffer from insomnia, yet less than 5% see a physician to treat the problem. Perhaps they should, say Washington State University (WSU) researchers who have found a link between insomnia and mental illness, particularly depression. Of over two million U.S. adults who visited their doctors in 1995 and 1996 due to insomnia, the scientists report, 57.4% were diagnosed with non-sleep-related disorders such as schizophrenia, and 31.7% were diagnosed with depression.
But while there is a correlation between insomnia and mental illness, "it's the chicken and egg story," says Tracy Skaer, Pharm.D., assistant dean of the WSU College of Pharmacy. "We can't tell if insomnia is the cause of the depression" or vice versa. Still, she says, sleeplessness should not be taken lying down. "Insomnia could be a symptom of a serious underlying problem. If it persists, people should seek advice from a health care professional."
