title: The role of polysomnography in the differential diagnosis of chronic insomnia.
abstract: The authors examined the accuracy of the differential diagnosis of chronic insomnia with and without sleep laboratory studies in a consecutive series of 123 patients. All patients were evaluated by means of a sleep/wake log, a sleep habits questionnaire, structured psychiatric and clinical interviews, and a minimum of two consecutive nights of polysomnography. Notwithstanding a high rate of Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC)-diagnosed psychopathology (63%) in this sample, the major finding was that in 49% of the patients laboratory results added to, refuted, and/or failed to support the clinical impression. This resulted in substantial modification of the initial diagnostic formulation and therefore in increased specificity of diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15213.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kupfer
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Lovin
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Ehrenpreis
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology