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Insomnia

  • Chapter
Sourcebook of Psychological Treatment Manuals for Adult Disorders

Abstract

Although most people occasionally suffer from disturbed sleep, to the person suffering from chronic or severe insomnia the bed may become a battlefield; a nightly struggle ensues in which the sufferer attempts to force what comes naturally to others. As a biological imperative, sleep’s absence may result in physical, cognitive, and emotional consequences. In this volume covering various types of psychological disorders, it is evident that few problems exist in isolation. Insomnia is a prime example of how physical, behavioral, and cognitive factors can interact to produce distressing symptoms. As we shall see, insomnia can co-occur with other disorders as one of several symptoms, or it can stand alone as a presenting problem of substantial magnitude. We begin by describing insomnia and its correlates and then review methods for distinguishing it from related disorders. We then review several treatment options that may be used to improve sleep, as assessed by both objective measures of sleep duration and the subjective experience of the patient. We conclude with a case example in hope of clarifying the use of the methods described.

He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.

—Benjamin Franklin

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, 38152, USA

    David L. Van Brunt, Brant W. Riedel & Kenneth L. Lichstein

Authors
  1. David L. Van Brunt
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  2. Brant W. Riedel
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  3. Kenneth L. Lichstein
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Psychological Studies, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 33314, USA

    Vincent B. Van Hasselt  & Michel Hersen  & 

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© 1996 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Van Brunt, D.L., Riedel, B.W., Lichstein, K.L. (1996). Insomnia. In: Van Hasselt, V.B., Hersen, M. (eds) Sourcebook of Psychological Treatment Manuals for Adult Disorders. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1528-3_14

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1528-3_14

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-1530-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-1528-3

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