Study of insomnia finds a new predictor for suicidal thoughts

Assessment and treatment of nightmares and dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep may reduce the risk of suicide in people with depressive symptoms

2013-02-15

(Press-News.org) DARIEN, IL – A new study confirms a link between insomnia and thoughts of suicide and suggests that this relationship is mediated by dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep as well as nightmares. The study suggests that the targeted assessment and treatment of specific sleep problems may reduce the risk of suicide in people with depressive symptoms.

"Insomnia and nightmares, which are often confused and go hand-in-hand, are known risk factors for suicide but just how they contribute was unknown," said Dr. W. Vaughn McCall, the study's lead author and chair of the Medical College of Georgia Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at Georgia Regents University. "This study reaffirms that link and adds the element of hopelessness about sleep that is independent of other types of hopelessness, such as those regarding personal relationships and careers."

The study, appearing in the February issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, used psychometric testing to objectively assess the mental state of 50 depressed patients being treated as an inpatient, outpatient or in the Emergency Department. Participants were between 20 and 84 years of age, and 72 percent were women. Fifty-six percent of study subjects previously had attempted suicide at least one time.

Results show that participants had a moderate degree of insomnia symptoms on average, using the Insomnia Severity Index. Although hopelessness was related to suicidal ideation, it was not significantly related to insomnia, dysfunctional beliefs or nightmares. However, all three sleep variables were correlated with suicidal thoughts.

Mediation analysis found that when insomnia and suicidal thinking were considered in isolation, insomnia was, as expected, a predictor of suicidal thinking. However, when disturbing dream and nightmare severity, as well as dysfunctional beliefs and attitude severity were included in the statistical model, then insomnia per se was no longer related to suicidal thinking.

"It turns out insomnia can lead to a very specific type of hopelessness, and hopelessness by itself is a powerful predictor of suicide," McCall said. "It's fascinating because what it tells you is we have discovered a new predictor for suicidal thinking."

According to the authors, the study suggests that nightmares and dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep may present novel targets for suicide prevention.

### To request a copy of the study, "Nightmares and Dysfunctional Beliefs about Sleep Mediate the Effect of Insomnia Symptoms on Suicidal Ideation" or to arrange an interview with an AASM spokesperson, please contact Communications Coordinator Lynn Celmer at 630-737-9700, ext. 9364, or lcelmer@aasmnet.org.

The peer-reviewed Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is published monthly and is the official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a professional membership society that is the leader in setting standards and promoting excellence in sleep medicine health care, education and research (www.aasmnet.org).

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine considers sleep disorders an illness that has reached epidemic proportions. Board-certified sleep medicine physicians in an AASM-accredited sleep center provide effective treatment. AASM encourages patients to talk to their doctors about sleep problems or visit www.sleepeducation.com for a searchable directory of sleep centers.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Trolls win: Rude blog comments dim the allure of science online

2013-02-15

BOSTON – The trolls are winning. Pick a story about some aspect of science, any story, scroll down to the blog comments and let the bashing begin: "Wonder how much taxpayer cash went into this 'deep' study?" "I think you can take all these studies by pointy headed scientists, 99 percent of whom are socialists and communists, and stick them where the sun don't shine." "Yawn. Climate change myth wackos at it again." "This article is 100 percent propaganda crapola." "Speaking of dolts, if you were around in the 70s, when they also had scientists, the big talk ...

The role of radical prostatectomy in patients with prostate cancer

2013-02-15

Even in the presence of screening, there is benefit to radical prostatectomy (RP) in prostate cancer patients, however, the benefit is limited to a subgroup of patients and can take years to become evident according to a study published February 14 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group Study Number 4 (SPCG-4) trial identified that RP lowered prostate cancer deaths with a statistically significant absolute mortality difference (AMD) between RP and watchful waiting (WW) of 6.1%. The Prostate Cancer Intervention Versus Observation ...

The human pathogen Streptococcus pneumonia shields foreign DNA derived from other bacteria to promote genetic diversity and vaccine evasion

2013-02-15

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: CJ was funded by a grant from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (projet n_ BLAN06-3_141806). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. COMPETING INTEREST: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. PLEASE ADD THIS LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR REPORT: http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1003178 (link will go live upon embargo lift) CITATION: Johnston C, Martin B, Granadel C, Polard P, Claverys J-P (2013) Programmed ...

Study shows alcohol consumption is a leading preventable cause of cancer death in the US

2013-02-15

(Boston) – Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have shown that alcohol is a major contributor to cancer deaths and years of potential life lost. These findings, published in the April 2013 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, also show that reducing alcohol consumption is an important cancer prevention strategy as alcohol is a known carcinogen even when consumed in small quantities. Previous studies consistently have shown that alcohol consumption is a significant risk factor ...

Johns Hopkins researchers create new air sacs in mouse model of emphysema using novel growth factor

2013-02-15

In a study of mice, researchers at Johns Hopkins have identified a new molecular pathway involved in the growth of tiny air sacs called alveoli that are crucial for breathing. The scientists say their experiments may lead to the first successful treatments to regrow the air sacs in people who suffer from diseases such as emphysema in which the air sacs have been destroyed by years of smoking. The work may also suggest new therapy for premature infants born before their lungs are fully developed. "One of the most daunting challenges we face as physicians is helping patients ...

U of M researchers find that doula care for low-income women could save taxpayers money

2013-02-15

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (EMBARGOED UNTIL February 14, 2013) – New research from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health has found lower cesarean birth rates among Medicaid beneficiaries with access to support from a birth doula than among Medicaid patients nationally. A doula is not a medical provider, but is a trained, experienced professional person who can provide information, physical assistance and support to a woman during childbirth. The research indicates that policy changes to provide Medicaid coverage for birth doulas may actually decrease costs ...

X-ray laser sees photosynthesis in action

2013-02-15

Opening a new window on the way plants generate the oxygen we breathe, researchers used an X-ray laser at the Department of Energy's (DOE) SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory to simultaneously look at the structure and chemical behavior of a natural catalyst involved in photosynthesis for the first time. The work, made possible by the ultrafast, ultrabright X-ray pulses at SLAC's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), is a breakthrough in studying atomic-scale transformations in photosynthesis and other biological and industrial processes that depend on catalysts, which ...

Combo of Avastin, second drug shows promise fighting brain cancer, Mayo Clinic finds

2013-02-15

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The drug bevacizumab, also known by the trade name Avastin, shrinks tumors briefly in patients with an aggressive brain cancer known as glioblastoma multiforme, but then they often grow again and spread throughout the brain for reasons no one previously has understood. Now, Mayo Clinic researchers have found out why this happens. They have also discovered that pairing Avastin with another cancer drug, dasatinib, can stop that lethal spread. Dasatinib is approved for use in several blood cancers. The findings, based on an animal study, are detailed ...

Scientists develop improved fire management tools for Africa's savannas

2013-02-15

DAKAR, SENEGAL (15 February 2013)—Scientists at the Nairobi-based World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and partners have developed specialized graphs that map out fire behavior, known as nomographs, for landscape managers in Africa's savannas. The study, published in the February issue of the Journal of Arid Environments, pinpoints the optimal conditions for setting early-season prescribed fires—a process that when executed and timed properly, reduces the risk and impact of late dry season bushfires in increasingly fragile ecosystems, both of which are exacerbated by climate ...

Humans and chimps share genetic strategy in battle against pathogens

2013-02-15

A genome-wide analysis searching for evidence of long-lived balancing selection—where the evolutionary process acts not to select the single best adaptation but to maintain genetic variation in a population—has uncovered at least six regions of the genome where humans and chimpanzees share the same combination of genetic variants. The finding, to be published Feb. 14 in the journal Science, suggests that in these regions, human genetic variation dates back to a common ancestor with chimpanzees millions of years ago, before the species split. It also highlights the importance ...