Exploring sleep disturbances in adolescent borderline personality disorder using actigraphy: a case report.
Actigraphy has been used in clinical pediatric populations for many years, including attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and mood disorders to characterize circadian rhythms of motor activity, and as an alternative evaluation of sleep patterns. We present a case of an adolescent presenting with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and substance dependence for whom an investigation of sleep patterns using actigraphy and a sleep diary appeared to be useful in managing the case. Actigraphy contributed to the diagnostic clarification and disconfirmed the relevance of prescribing medication to this patient for sleep problems. Actigraphy is a cost-effective measure to evaluate sleep/wake patterns allowing for several-day-periods of observation. From the patient standpoint, actigraphy is less invasive than more in-depth investigation as polysomnography. Actigraphy might be a promising tool in those clinical occurrences when disentangling sleep disturbances from primary diagnosis or substance use is required.
Guilé
Jean Marc
JM
Clinique des Troubles de l'humeur and Laboratoire et clinique du sommeil, Hôpital Rivière-des-Prairies, Département de Psychiatrie, Université de Montréal, Montrdal, Québec, Canada. jmguile@total.net
Huynh
Christophe
C
Desrosiers
Lyne
L
Bouvier
Hélène
H
MacKay
Jacques
J
Chevrier
Elyse
E
Godbout
Roger
R
Breton
Jean-Jacques
JJ
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography; D011594:Psychometrics; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology