The DSM-IV-TR describes four classes
of sleep disorders and categorizes them by their cause. The four classes are: Primary Sleep Disorders, Sleep Disorders
Related to Another Mental Disorder, Sleep Disorders Due to a General Medical
Condition and Substance-Induced Sleep Disorders. When the doctor diagnoses a disorder under
any of these categories, you should review their report to determine if they
discussed the qualitative nature, frequency, intensity, duration, onset and
course of the patient’s sleeping complaints over time. Unfortunately,
you will likely find that the doctor did not provide any information about what
the patient’s sleeping behaviors were like prior to their claimed injury so
that the reader has absolutely no idea if the sleep disturbance reported by the
doctor represented a change in functioning over time or was simply the
patient’s normal sleep pattern.
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