Food for Thought
Investigators found that adolescents and adolescents with a mood disorder (e.g., depression, bipolar disorder) demonstrated an increased incidence of DSPS; additional research on appropriate therapies is needed (Robillard et al., 2013)
Red Flags
Red Flags Persons with untreated DSPS who drive or operate machinery when not fully awake and attentive are putting themselves and others at risk for injury or death
Red Flags DSPS is more resistant to treatment than other sleep disorders and patients tend to relapse
Red Flags Some persons with DSPS use illicit drugs, alcohol, or prescribed sedative-hypnotics to induce sleep and develop a dependence on these substances