Posttraumatic stress disorder in the spouse of a patient with sleep terrors.
A 27-year-old woman who developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a consequence of her husband's severe sleep terror episode is reported. A 29-year-old man suddenly aroused from sleep and jumped through the closed second-story window of the room he shared with his wife, sustaining major lacerations to his arms. He hung onto the roof as his wife screamed at him from the window, and eventually climbed back inside. He was evaluated with polysomnography and was given the diagnosis of sleep terrors, which was effectively treated with behavioral and pharmacologic interventions. During a routine follow-up visit with the patient, his wife's PTSD symptoms came to clinical attention and she was referred for treatment. She demonstrated marked improvement in her condition after an 8 week course of cognitive-behavioral therapy. We conclude that family members of patients with sleep disorders manifesting as violent behaviors during sleep can suffer psychological trauma even if they are not physically injured.
Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Sleep Disorders Center, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State Street, Jackson, MS 39216, USA. abaran@psychiatry.umsmed.edu
Alp Sinan
AS
Baran
Allen C
AC
Richert
Rochelle
R
Goldberg
June M
JM
Fry
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020184:Night Terrors; D018454:Spouses; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy