Use of sleeping pills triples among young adults
>>Print ViewPublication Date: 01/22/2009
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College-aged students who are suffering from psychological disorders may be turning to sleeping pills as a way to escape their pain.
A study released on Friday by the health care business of Thomson Reuters found the use of prescription medication among young adults has nearly tripled in the past eight years. In 1998 only 599 per 100,000 individuals used sleeping pills; the number jumped to 1,524 per 100,000 users in 2006.
One major reason students may be turning to sleeping aids is because of psychiatric disorders. Don Lynam, a professor in clinical psychology, said disorders such as depression or anxiety can cause sleep loss. Typically, fewer than 25 percent of college-aged individuals seek treatment for their psychological disorders.
Lynam said he isn’t surprised by the large amount of students who don’t seek out the help of a professional.
“The 25 percent who don’t receive help sounds reasonable. The big question of this is: How many of those are actually helped by sleeping pills?” he said. “It is possible (students are helped) if we are talking anxiety or depression.”
The reason why students aren’t seeking help isn’t always clear and usually depends on the psychological disorder, Lynam said. Young women are more likely to suffer from eating disorders while men suffer from substance abuse. Both men and women suffer equally from depression and anxiety.
“For some kinds of problems, individuals don’t always recognize their problems, especially with eating disorders and substance abuse,” he said. “When it comes to depression and anxiety, it’s a little harder to know.”
While disorders like anxiety and depression may be the cause for more students using sleeping aids, William Marder, senior vice president and general manager for the health care business of Thomson Reuters, thinks another disorder may be to blame. He said in a press release that more college-aged students are suffering from insomnia, which could also account for the increased number of young people who have turned to sleeping pills.
“Insomnia, a condition traditionally associated with older adults, appears to be causing larger numbers of young adults to turn to prescription sleep aids and to depend on them for longer periods of time,” he said.
Culturally, it’s become almost a norm to be diagnosed with a psychological disorder, Lynam said. In recent years many clinicians have overdiagnosed disorders like attention deficit disorder and overprescribed medication like Ritalin or Adderall. Physicians may be overprescribing sleeping pills as well.
“(Physicians) are more likely to prescribe everything more and more,” he said. “It’s a problem because their basic training isn’t in prescription drugs.”
No matter what the psychological disorder, most clinicians agree that consistent use of sleeping pills has negative consequences. Lynam said clinicians are concerned because sleep aids are habit-forming and long-term use can lead to addiction.
“It’s better if they are under the care of a doctor because they may prescribe medication only a month or weeks at a time,” he said. “If they get it from different sources there is little monitoring or little look at the dosage.”