Sleep disturbances in childhood-onset schizophrenia

Abstract Sleep disturbances in psychiatric disease have long been reported. However, research on sleep disturbances in child and adolescent psychiatric disorders is limited. We examined the relationship of sleep disturbance to clinical severity and co-morbid diagnoses (e.g. anxiety), for a population with childhood-onset schizophrenia (COS). Sixty-one COS patients underwent a medication-free inpatient observation period as part of an NIMH study of COS. Sleep quantity during the last 5–7 days of a patient's medication-free period was measured using safety records and daily nursing notes. Subjects were divided into two groups: “good sleepers” (> 6 h) and “poor sleepers” (