Rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder and psychiatry: a case-control study
YK Wing, SP Lam, JMY Tsoh, VCT Mok
Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
 
 
Key Messages
1. Rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) in psychiatric patients is associated with a high prevalence of sleep-related injuries to self (60%) and others (65%). Early medical attention and intervention are indicated.
2. The aetiology of RBD in psychiatric patients is not simply a drug-induced condition, but involves a combination of clinical factors that include mood and sleep symptoms and psychotropic medications.
3. RBD in older persons is a precursor to neurodegenerative disorders. Olfactory dysfunction seen in the relatively young psychiatric patients may be a subtle sign of an early neurodegenerative process.
4. The aetiology of an underlying neurodegenerative process in psychiatric RBD patients should be further investigated.