Insomnia And Schizophrenia

A variety of studies have been conducted on insomnia, ADHD, schizophrenia, depression, and OCD. A systematic review of current pharmacological treatments of these neurological disorders listed above will allow for a beneficial analysis of the pros and cons of each type of established treatment, and will allow patients to determine the efficacy of each treatment, and pick the one that will be the most useful for them. It is imperative that these disorders are properly treated as they may be debilitating, and have grave consequences. For example, consequences of depression may be fatal as sufferers are twice as likely as healthy peers to die (Hasselmann, 2014). This paper examines the pharmacological treatments available for insomnia, ADHD, schizophrenia,
Insomnia is theoretically defined as difficulty falling asleep after going to bed, or after waking up in the night. Additionally, there is no cure. Notably, there is a significant problem in identifying insomnia because of the capricious nature of self-reports. Typically, insomnia treatment focuses on GABA, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in central nervous system. Benzodiazepines, a category of anxiolytic drugs that also serves as an indirect agonist for the GABAA receptor, are commonly used to treat anxiety disorders, and seizures. Examples of common benzodiazepines for insomnia are triazolam, estazolam, and loprazolam. In a meta-analysis done by, researchers analyzed the benefits and risk associated with use of benzodiazepines to treat insomnia in adults, and only identified studies that compared benzodiazepines with placebo, or another active agent, represented 2672 patients in all. They analyzed several studies that compared benzodiazepines with a placebo, and the following outcomes variables were used: sleep onset latency, number of nocturnal awakenings, total sleep time, sleep quality and daytime side effects (dizziness, drowsiness, numbness and weakening of daytime functions, such as memory). They concluded that benzodiazepines were more effective in the short term for sleep duration than placebos. They also found a
A majority of untreated and undiagnosed chronic insomniacs have reported to using either over-the-counter medications, like antihistamines in an inappropriate attempt to alleviate their insomnia (Monti, Monti 2000). The neurotransmitter histamine plays a role in wakefulness, and immunity and allergies. The H1 receptor is found throughout the central nervous system, including the caudate-putamen, cerebral cortex, and hypothalamus, and is known to be involved in wakefulness. The first generation H1 receptor antagonist, for example, diphenhydramine reduced waking in REM sleep, and increased slow wave sleep in laboratory mice (Monti, Monti 2000). First generation H1 receptor antagonist are well absorbed following oral administration, and readily cross the blood-brain barrier. Originally, these compounds were developed to treat the symptoms related to allergies and colds, but they tended to increase the likelihood of falling asleep, reduced concentration, and loss of alertness. A majority of untreated and undiagnosed chronic insomniacs have reported to using either over-the-counter medications, like antihistamines in an inappropriate attempt to alleviate their insomnia. In one study, Kudo and Kurihara (1990) determined the effects