Proinflammatory Cytokines, Mood, and Sleep in Interepisode Bipolar Disorder and Insomnia

ObjectiveProinflammatory cytokines are associated with bipolar disorder (BD), but less is known about how cytokines function during the interepisode period. This study examined cytokines, mood symptoms, and sleep in individuals with interepisode BD with complaints of insomnia. We also investigated the effects of a BD-specific modification of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBTI-BP) on cytokine levels.MethodsTwenty-two adults with interepisode BD type I and insomnia were drawn from a subset of a National Institute of Mental Health funded study. Participants were randomly allocated to CBTI-BP (n = 11) or psychoeducation (n = 11). Participants completed a sleep diary, rated self-report measures of mania and depression, and provided samples assayed for interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor soluble receptor 2 (sTNF-R2).ResultsIL-6 was associated with mania symptoms (rs = 0.44, p = .041) and total sleep time (rs = -0.49, p = .026). IL-6 was related to depression symptoms at the trend level (rs = 0.43, p = .052). sTNF-R2 was not significantly related to mood or sleep measures. From pretreatment to posttreatment, CBTI-BP compared with psychoeducation was associated with a nonsignificant, large effect size decrease in IL-6 (z = -1.61, p = .13, d = -0.78) and a nonsignificant, small-medium effect size decrease in sTNF-R2 (z = -0.79, p = .44, d = -0.38).ConclusionsThese findings provide preliminary evidence that IL-6 is related to mania symptoms and shorter total sleep time in interepisode BD. A treatment that targets sleep in BD could potentially decrease IL-6 although replication is warranted

Sleep the Night Before and After a Treatment Session: A Critical Ingredient for Treatment Adherence?

ObjectiveSleep prepares key neural structures for next-day learning, and sleep obtained after learning promotes subsequent memory consolidation supporting long-term retention. This study examined whether sleep the night before and after a therapy session predicts aspects of treatment adherence.MethodAs part of a randomized clinical trial, 188 adults (62.7% female, mean age = 47.5, 80.5% Caucasian) with persistent insomnia received cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia. Patients completed a sleep diary before and after treatment sessions. Minutes spent awake during the night (total wake time; TWT) and total sleep time (TST) were used as measures of sleep disturbance. At each treatment session, therapists rated participant understanding of the session and homework compliance from the previous session.ResultsCompared to longer TWT, before session shorter TWT was associated with increased treatment understanding the next day. After session shorter TWT was also associated with increased understanding, but not homework compliance the subsequent session compared to participants with longer TWT. Similar results were obtained for TST.ConclusionsImproving sleep may benefit patient adherence to treatment. Sleep may influence processes related to initial learning and subsequent consolidation of treatment information. Future studies should examine whether improved sleep within other psychiatric disorders is also an ingredient to the successful outcome of psychosocial interventions. (PsycINFO Database Recor

Prevalence and clinical correlates of co-occurring insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms in depression

BackgroundThe aim was to examine the prevalence and consequences of co-occurring insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms in depressed adults drawn from a representative sample of the U.S. population.MethodData from 687 National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) respondents meeting criteria for a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year were included. Respondents completed clinical interviews that assessed 12-month DSM-IV disorders, impairment, mental health treatment, and depressive symptom severity. Outcomes were compared between respondents who experienced insomnia symptoms-only (N=404), hypersomnia symptoms-only (N=44), both insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms (N=184) and no sleep problems (N=55) during an MDE.ResultsInsomnia and hypersomnia symptoms co-occurred in 27.7% of respondents with past-year MDEs, most frequently in bipolar spectrum disorders and major depressive disorder with dysthymia. Similar to the insomnia-only group, respondents with co-occurring sleep disturbances had more severe depression, and higher rates of past-year impulse control disorders and suicide planning. Similar to the hypersomnia-only group, respondents with co-occurring sleep disturbances had higher rates of past-year drug use disorders and suicide attempts. Compared to the insomnia-only and no sleep problem groups, respondents with both sleep disturbances were more frequently in mental health treatment, seeing a general practitioner, and taking antidepressants.LimitationsThe NCS-R is cross-sectional and did not evaluate sleep disorder diagnoses.ConclusionsCo-occurring insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms were associated with a more severe MDE. Further research is warranted to more fully understand the joint presentation of insomnia and hypersomnia in depression

Basic sleep and circadian science as building blocks for behavioral interventions: A translational approach for mood disorders.

Sleep and circadian functioning has been of particular interest to researchers focused on improving treatments for psychiatric illness. The goal of the present paper is to highlight the exciting research that utilizes basic sleep and circadian science as building blocks for intervention in the mood disorders. The reviewed evidence suggests that the sleep and circadian systems are 1) disrupted in the mood disorders and linked to symptoms, 2) open systems that can be modified, 3) the focus of interventions which have been developed to effectively treat sleep disturbance within mood disorders, and 4) intimately linked with mood, such that improvements in sleep are associated with improvements in mood. Although, significant positive treatment effects are evident, more research is needed to fill the gap in our basic understanding of the relationship between sleep and mood

Treatment agreement, adherence, and outcome in cognitive behavioral treatments for insomnia.

BACKGROUND: Patient adherence has been identified as an important barrier to the implementation of evidence-based psychological treatments. OBJECTIVE: In cognitive behavioral treatments (CBT) for insomnia, the current study examined (a) the validity of therapist ratings of patient agreement and adherence against an established behavioral measure of adherence, and (b) the relationship between treatment agreement, adherence, and outcome. METHOD: Participants were 188 adults meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for chronic insomnia who were randomized to receive behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, or CBT for insomnia. Treatment agreement/adherence was measured by (a) weekly therapist ratings of patient agreement and homework completion, and (b) adherence to behavioral strategies (ABS) derived from patient-reported sleep diary. Outcome measures were Insomnia Severity Index and insomnia remission (Insomnia Severity Index <8). RESULTS: Therapist ratings of patient agreement as well as homework completion were significantly associated with sleep diary-derived global ABS. Therapist-rated patient agreement and homework completion as well as global ABS predicted greater insomnia symptoms reduction from pretreatment to posttreatment. Patient agreement also predicted insomnia symptoms reduction from pretreatment to 6-month follow-up. Patient agreement, adherence, and ABS measures during treatment significantly predicted insomnia remission at posttreatment, and all but therapist rating of homework completion predicted remission at 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Greater patient agreement and adherence (therapist ratings and ABS) during treatment predicted better treatment outcome. Therapist-rated treatment agreement and adherence correspond well with patient-reported sleep diary-derived adherence measure. These simple, deployable therapist-rated patient agreement and adherence can potentially be useful for treatments for other disorders. (PsycINFO Database Recor

Prevalence and clinical correlates of co-occurring insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms in depression

BACKGROUND: The aim was to examine the prevalence and consequences of co-occurring insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms in depressed adults drawn from a representative sample of the U.S. population. METHOD: Data from 687 National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) respondents meeting criteria for a major depressive episode (MDE) in the past year were included. Respondents completed clinical interviews that assessed 12-month DSM-IV disorders, impairment, mental health treatment, and depressive symptom severity. Outcomes were compared between respondents who experienced insomnia symptoms-only (N=404), hypersomnia symptoms-only (N=44), both insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms (N=184) and no sleep problems (N=55) during an MDE. RESULTS: Insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms co-occurred in 27.7% of respondents with past-year MDEs, most frequently in bipolar spectrum disorders and major depressive disorder with dysthymia. Similar to the insomnia-only group, respondents with co-occurring sleep disturbances had more severe depression, and higher rates of past-year impulse control disorders and suicide planning. Similar to the hypersomnia-only group, respondents with co-occurring sleep disturbances had higher rates of past-year drug use disorders and suicide attempts. Compared to the insomnia-only and no sleep problem groups, respondents with both sleep disturbances were more frequently in mental health treatment, seeing a general practitioner, and taking antidepressants. LIMITATIONS: The NCS-R is cross-sectional and did not evaluate sleep disorder diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Co-occurring insomnia and hypersomnia symptoms were associated with a more severe MDE. Further research is warranted to more fully understand the joint presentation of insomnia and hypersomnia in depression

Comparative efficacy of behavior therapy, cognitive therapy, and cognitive behavior therapy for chronic insomnia: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the unique contribution of behavior therapy (BT) and cognitive therapy (CT) relative to the full cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for persistent insomnia. METHOD: Participants were 188 adults (117 women; M age = 47.4 years old, SD=12.6) with persistent insomnia (average of 14.5 years duration). They were randomized to eight, weekly, individual sessions consisting of BT (n = 63), CT (n = 65), or CBT (n = 60). RESULTS: Full CBT was associated with greatest improvements, the improvements associated with BT were faster but not as sustained and the improvements associated with CT were slower and sustained. The proportion of treatment responders was significantly higher in the CBT (67.3%) and BT (67.4%) relative to CT (42.4%) groups at post treatment, while 6-months later CT made significant further gains (62.3%), BT had significant loss (44.4%) and CBT retained its initial response (67.6%). Remission rates followed a similar trajectory, with higher remission rates at post treatment in CBT (57.3%) relative to CT (30.8%), with BT falling in between (39.4%); CT made further gains from post treatment to follow up (30.9% to 51.6%). All three therapies produced improvements of daytime functioning at both post treatment and follow up, with few differential changes across groups. CONCLUSIONS: Full CBT is the treatment of choice. Both BT and CT are effective, with a more rapid effect for BT and a delayed action for CT. These different trajectories of changes provide unique insights into the process of behavior change via behavioral versus cognitive routes

Impact of comorbid anxiety and depressive disorders on treatment response to cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of comorbid anxiety or depressive disorders on treatment response to cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for insomnia, behavior therapy (BT), or cognitive therapy (CT). METHOD: Participants were 188 adults (117 women; M age = 47.4 years) with chronic insomnia, including 45 also presenting a comorbid anxiety or mild to moderate depressive disorder. They were randomized to BT (n = 63), CT (n = 65), or CBT (n = 60). Outcome measures were the proportion of treatment responders (decrease of ≥ 8 points on the Insomnia Severity Index; ISI) and remissions (ISI score < 8) and depression and anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: Proportion of treatment responders and remitters in the CBT condition was not significantly different between the subgroups with and without comorbidity. However, the proportion of responders was lower in the comorbidity subgroup compared to those without comorbidity in both the BT (34.4% vs 81.6%; p=0.007) and CT (23.6% vs 57.6%; p=0.02) alone conditions, although remission rates and pre-post ISI change scores were not. Pre to post change scores on the depression (−10.6 vs −3.9; p<0.001) and anxiety measures (−9.2 vs −2.5; p=.01) were significantly greater in the comorbidity subgroup relative to the subgroup without comorbidity but only for those treated with the full CBT; no difference was found for those treated with either BT or CT alone. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of a comorbid anxiety or mild to moderate depressive disorder did not reduce the efficacy of CBT for insomnia, but it did for its single BT and CT components when used alone

Treating insomnia improves mood state, sleep, and functioning in bipolar disorder: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if a treatment for interepisode bipolar disorder I patients with insomnia improves mood state, sleep, and functioning. METHOD: Alongside psychiatric care, interepisode bipolar disorder I participants with insomnia were randomly allocated to a bipolar disorder–specific modification of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBTI-BP; n = 30) or psychoeducation (PE; n = 28) as a comparison condition. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, the end of 8 sessions of treatment, and 6 months later. This pilot was conducted to determine initial feasibility and generate effect size estimates. RESULTS: During the 6-month follow-up, the CBTI-BP group had fewer days in a bipolar episode relative to the PE group (3.3 days vs. 25.5 days). The CBTI-BP group also experienced a significantly lower hypomania/mania relapse rate (4.6% vs. 31.6%) and a marginally lower overall mood episode relapse rate (13.6% vs. 42.1%) compared with the PE group. Relative to PE, CBTI-BP reduced insomnia severity and led to higher rates of insomnia remission at posttreatment and marginally higher rates at 6 months. Both CBTI-BP and PE showed statistically significant improvement on selected sleep and functional impairment measures. The effects of treatment were well sustained through follow-up for most outcomes, although some decline on secondary sleep benefits was observed. CONCLUSIONS: CBTI-BP was associated with reduced risk of mood episode relapse and improved sleep and functioning on certain outcomes in bipolar disorder. Hence, sleep disturbance appears to be an important pathway contributing to bipolar disorder. The need to develop bipolar disorder–specific sleep diary scoring standards is highlighted. PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE: This study suggests that an intervention to improve sleep and circadian functioning reduces risk of relapse and improves sleep and overall functioning among individuals who meet diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder