The Munich Parasomnia Screening in psychiatry

Background: The aim was to investigate the subjective experience of parasomnias and other nocturnal behaviors in depression and schizophrenia. Materials and methods: Using the Munich Parasomnia Screening (MUPS), 21 parasomnias and other nocturnal behaviors were assessed in 85 participants; 27 were patients with depression, 29 were patients with schizophrenia, and 29 were healthy control participants. Results: A significant group difference was found for: hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep-related bruxism, sleep talking, sleep-related abnormal swallowing, leg cramps, nightmares, pavor nocturnus, confusional arousals, and sleep paralysis. The highest scores in depression point toward a correlation between depression and the prevalence of parasomnias. Parasomnias did not cluster according to their occurrence. Conclusion: Although all patients with depression had experienced nocturnal behaviors, none had a previous parasomnia diagnosis or was treated accordingly. Of all participants, 97.6% had experienced nocturnal behaviors. Prevalence in depression was highest, asking for more clinical awareness and thereby better future treatments and outcomes. A screening instrument like the MUPS is essential in filtering out patients who seem to experience parasomnias.