Reference
Guide | Reference

112  Sleep Disorders Masquerading as Psychiatric Illness

Purpose. Prevent mislabeling primary sleep disorders as psychiatric conditions.

112.1 Hallmark Signs

  • Daytime fatigue, cognitive fog, irritability tied to poor sleep.
  • Sleep disruption precedes mood or anxiety symptoms.
  • Snoring, apnea, or abnormal movements reported by others.

112.2 High-Risk Contexts

  • Shift work, irregular schedules, high caffeine use.
  • Older adults, obesity, or cardiopulmonary disease.

112.3 Minimum Workup (by setting)

  • Sleep history and basic sleep log. [E0/U2]
  • Consider sleep medicine referral when indicated. [E0/U2]
WarningRed flags
  • Severe insomnia with safety risk or suspected sleep apnea. [E0/U3]
  • Parasomnias with injury risk. [E0/U3]

Documentation Output. “Sleep disorder considered as primary or contributing.” Sleep history summary and next steps.