Diagnosis, prevalence, pathways, consequences & treatment of insomnia.

Insomnia is a highly prevalent sleep disorder that frequently occurs in its acute form and occurs at a rate of approximately 10 per cent in its chronic form in many countries. There is a high prevalence of insomnia in a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions for which insomnia often serves as a risk factor. The aetiology and pathophysiology of insomnia is such that several factors may predispose individuals for or precipitate and/or perpetuate the condition. Both sedative-hypnotic and cognitivebehavioural interventions exist for insomnia and each type of intervention have substantial levels of empirical support for their efficacy.