Poor Sleep Linked To Suicidal Behavior Among Children And Adolescents With Depressive Episodes

There is a strong association between depression and sleep deprivation.

The suicidal behavior associated with depression has been described as a public health problem and that the full implication might not be scientifically addressed in relation to children and adolescents to the depth that it should be.

Moreover, the suicidal behavior in adults can start in childhood and it should be recognized early.

The study, authored by Maria-Cecilia Lopes, MD, PhD, of Sao Paulo University in Brazil, focused on 303 individuals with pediatric bipolar disorder and pediatric unipolar disorder during depressive episodes. The presence of sleep complaints and suicidal behavior were detected by face-to-face interviews during depressive episodes.

According to the results, 83.8 percent of the patients had sleep disturbances. Poor sleep was more frequent among those with pediatric bipolar disorder and pediatric unipolar disorder, and this was clearly detected by the presence of initial insomnia and sleep maintenance insomnia.

Surprisingly, there was a significant association between suicidal behavior and the presence of sleep complaints in both groups. The proportion of subjects who reported suicidal behaviors with sleep complaints was higher among bipolar than unipolar patients.

The presence of sleep complaints during depressive episodes in pediatric bipolar and unipolar disorders must lead to a search for suicidal behavior. It is recommended that adolescents get nine hours of nightly sleep and school-aged children between 10-11 hours.

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