Objective measures of sleep and subjective symptoms in patients evaluated for chronic insomnia, grouped by three different depression criteria. Cunnington D, Levendowski D, Westbrook P, et al. Australasian Sleep Society Meeting, 2014, Perth Australia.

The recommendation for a non-pharmacological or pharmacological treatment strategy for chronic insomnia is impacted by the clinician’s interpretation of the patients medical history and focused physical examination, including a review of medication use and evaluation of possible psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression and/or anxiety).

factors that influence clinical consideration of a second line pharmacotherapy such as a sedating antidepressant for chronic insomnia include a history of depression or antidepressant use and/or the depression severity (i.e., measured by questionnaire such as the PHQ-9).

This retrospective analysis of a cohort of patients evaluated for chronic insomnia evaluates the distributions of responses across three measures of depression, and investigates differences in objective sleep and reported symptoms in subjects stratified by condition. The intention is to provide insight as to the influence of these factors on the clinical management of insomnia.