Garland said sleep disorders generally receive little attention in medical and psychology training; in many programs the total is about seven hours.
She says the lack of education leads to underdiagnosis and mismanagement.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, however, she says this goes a step further due to the lack of trained psychologists who can administer cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Garland said CBT-I is the recommended first-line treatment, according to national and provincial guidelines.
“There is a tremendous lack of providers in the province. We still have a shortage of psychologists in the province,” Garland said.
‘Doctors don’t know how to get help’
Garland added that when treating insomnia in combination with other mental health conditions, such as PTSD, general therapy does not treat insomnia unless it is specifically tailored, such as CBT-I.
Treating one without the other doesn’t work, she said, and both must be addressed sequentially or together.
When it comes to sleep medications, Garland said it only masks the problem but does not treat the underlying causes. Once the medication stops, the insomnia typically returns, she added.
“When physicians are faced with a lot of problems and they have nothing better to offer than sleep medicine, it’s frustrating, I think, both for them and for the patients,” Garland says.
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