PSYC 311 Chapter Notes - Chapter 16.10: Sleep Deprivation, Insomnia, Seasonal Affective Disorder

• School: McGill University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 311
• Professor: Michalakis Petrides

Document Summary

One of the most prominent symptoms of depression is disorded sleep. Rem which contains an increased number of rapid eye movements. 90% of people who experience an episode of depression report changes in their sleep patterns: persistent insomnia increases the chances of relapse. One of the most effective antidepressant treatments is total or selective sleep deprivation. Selective deprivation of rem sleep alleviates depression: the therapeutic effect occurs slowly, over the course of several weeks. Some patients show long-term improvements even after the deprivation is discontinued. In addition, some other treatments for depression suppress rem sleep, delaying its onset and decreasing its duration: this suggests that rem sleep and mood might somehow be causally related. Sws deprivation effectively reduces depressive symptoms in some patients. Sws deprivation also affects the total percentage of time spent in rem sleep: decreases in rem sleep were positively correlated with decreases in ratings of depressive symptoms.