The infamous "Dr. Nanjo" asks:
>In response to a question from a student whose sibling suffers from Night
>Terrors, what is the current state of the art in treating this parasomnia?
According to Wicks-Nelson & Israel (1991; _Behavior disorders of childhood_
[2nd ed]):
In many cases of sleepwalking and night terrors treatment may not be
indicated since the episodes usually disappear spontaneously. However,
a number of treatments have been suggested. These include response
interruption, contingency management, instructional procedures, and
anxiety reduction procedures.... Since the literature consists of case
studies one cannot say whether these treatments were responsible for
the reported changes. Drug treatments of both disorders have also been
reported.... (pp. 318-19)
I have read that one would not treat night terrors unless the child was
bothered by them (e.g., refused to go to sleep at night because of a fear of
having them). This is not often the case because the child usually has amnesia
for the event by the next morning. According to the DSM-IV:
For the diagnosis to be made, the individual must experience
clinically significant distress or impairment. Embarassment concerning
the episodes can impair social relationships. Individuals may avoid
situations in which others might become aware of the disturbance,
such as going to camp, visiting firends overnight, or sleeping with
bedpartners. (p. 584)
In the absence of such problems, treatment would not be indicated.
Imipramine has been used to treat the disorder. Case studies have been used
to support the claim for effectiveness (1994; _Textbook of Psychiatry_ [2nd
ed], p. 1219).
That's all I have,
Jeff Ricker
Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale AZ
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
