Primary Sleep Disorders - Cross-Examining Psych Doctors, Tip #87

Primary Sleep Disorders involve disturbances of sleep that are not due to another mental disorder, a general medical condition or a substance.  Primary Sleep Disorders are classified as either Dyssomnias, in which the person exhibits abnormalities in the amount, quality or timing of sleep, or Parasomnias, in which they show abnormal behaviors and/or physiological events during sleep.  When the doctor provides a diagnosis under this category, you should examine their report to see if the doctor provided information in their report about what the patient’s sleeping behavior was like prior to their reported injury.  If no such information exists in the doctor’s report then there is no basis for comparison and concluding that the patient’s sleeping behavior has changed after the claimed injury.