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How do you approach the evaluation and treatment of insomnia in children?

What initial assessment do you perform when a child presents with insomnia (e.g., sleep history, screening tools, sleep diaries)? When do you consider pharmacologic treatment, and which medications do you use most often? Are there specific red flags that prompt referral for sleep medicine evaluation?
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Psychiatry · University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Answered on

The evaluation and treatment of insomnia in children requires a structured assessment of sleep patterns, contributing medical or behavioral factors, and the implementation of primarily behavioral interventions, with selective use of pharmacologic treatments.

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Psychiatry · Duke University
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The evaluation of insomnia begins with a comprehensive history, including onset, frequency, duration, and symptom pattern (e.g., bedtime resistance, sleep-onset difficulty, or early morning awakening), as well as variability on weekends. Assessment should also address bedtime routines, pre‑sleep act...

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Psychiatry · Wayne State University School of Medicine
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Depending on the age and specific concern, I gather a comprehensive sleep history including typical bedtime routine, sleep associations, sleep setting details, schedule, typical hours of sleep, nighttime behaviors (wakings, nightmares, snoring, etc.), morning waking, how rested the patient feels, an...

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