Sleep and Psychopathology

Subjective and objective disturbances in sleep have been observed in a wide range of psychopathology. In this chapter, we review evidence implicating insomnia, hypersomnia, and circadian rhythm disturbances as having key roles in mood disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and resilience against psychopathology. Furthermore, we describe theories suggesting that sleep is a key mechanism linking stress and psychopathology. We next turn our attention to individual differences in sleep and circadian rhythms, focusing on personality and temperament. We also review data on chronotypes and their neurobiological underpinnings in mood disorders and schizophrenia. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of important clinical implications stemming from these empirical findings.