Insomnia and Anxiety

The statistics show that as much as twenty percent of the population suffers from chronic insomnia—and one-fourth of those with the condition eventually develop an anxiety disorder. As comorbid conditions, they contribute to any number of physical and social problems. Yet too often insomnia is undiagnosed, or treated as merely a symptom of the patient’s anxiety.

Insomnia and Anxiety is the first clinician guidebook that considers the evaluation and management of insomnia and related sleep disturbances that occur conjointly with the common anxiety disorders. By exploring the ways that one condition may exacerbate the other, its authors present robust evidence of the limitations of viewing insomnia as secondary to GAD, agoraphobia, PTSD, and others in the anxiety spectrum. The book reviews cognitive and emotional factors common to anxiety and sleep disorders, and models a cognitive-behavioral approach to therapy in which improved sleep is a foundation for improved symptom management. Beginning and veteran practitioners alike will find vital insights into all areas of these challenging cases, including:

• Diagnostic and assessment guidelines.
• Cognitive-behavior therapy for insomnia.
• Behavioral strategies for managing insomnia in the context of anxiety.
• Cognitive strategies for managing comorbid anxiety and insomnia.
• Sleep-related cognitive processes.
• Pharmacological treatment considerations.

Insomnia and Anxiety is highly useful to clinical psychologists given the range of treatment strategies it describes and to researchers because of its emphasis on the theoretical and empirical bases for its interventions. In addition, its accessible style makes it an excellent training tool for students of therapy and psychopathology.

Colleen E. Carney, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Ryerson Sleep and Depression Laboratory. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Louisiana State University, and completed two postdoctoral training fellowships: one in Cognitive Therapy for Depression and the other in Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia. She is currently the President of the Insomnia Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. Dr. Carney’s research and clinical focus is on the treatment of the comorbid insomnia that occurs in emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety. She has an active clinical practice at the Duke Insomnia and Sleep Research Program at Duke University Medical Center.

Jack D. Edinger, Ph.D. is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Duke University Medical Center, and Senior Psychologist at the Durham Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center. He is certified in Behavioral Sleep Medicine by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine with 25 years of clinical and research experience with sleep-disordered patients. Dr. Edinger practices at the Duke Insomnia and Sleep Research Program at Duke University Medical Center.