PracticeUpdate Conference Series European Congress of Psychiatry 2019

“This hypothesis goes contrary to traditional thinking about the origin of anxiety disorders and how they develop. Most anxiety disorders have a strong relationship to a family history of anxiety or to personality (trait anxiety) and exist as a base- line condition or are exacerbated by situational variables. The predominant evidence about sleep problems and anxiety in children and adolescents finds that excessive worry and anxiety interferes with sleep onset and to disrupted sleep. “Sleep problems among adolescents are ubiqui- tous, and current findings are demonstrating an alarming increase in sleep deprivation among teens, which interferes with school and work per- formance,” continued Dr. Butler. “The increase is attributed to lifestyle, physical devel- opment, pressure to achieve (think homework), or simply adolescent difficulty with self-regulation. It is possible that the current study has uncovered that for some adolescents, sleep problems are a pro- dromal symptom of an emerging anxiety problem. The researchers do not indicate if the measured anxiety reached a clinical diagnostic level, but their findings do reveal a concerning pattern among the identified group. Sleep problems and anxiety

" It is possible that the current study has uncovered that for some adolescents, sleep problems are a prodromal symptom of an emerging anxiety problem. "

worsened in tandem for this group over a 15-year period. “This study reinforces the importance of more specifically evaluating sleep problems when interacting with teens in the primary care setting,” concluded Dr. Butler. “If teens report sleep prob- lems, ask more specifically about the cause. Are they up late studying, using social media, playing video games, or worrying and fretting? Behavioral and pharmacologic interventions for disruptive anxiety are most effective when started in a timely manner.”

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EPA 2019 • PRACTICEUPDATE CONFERENCE SERIES