Sleepiness and Fatigue in Patients with Psychiatric Disorders

There is often uncertainty when fatigue and sleepiness are found at the intersection of sleep and psychiatric disorders. Many psychiatric disorders and their treatments contribute to complaints of sleepiness and fatigue to the extent that diagnostic criteria for many psychiatric disorders include fatigue, decreased vigilance, or sleepiness with the stipulation that these symptoms must not be due to a primary sleep disorder. Attention to both psychiatric and sleep disorders provides more comprehensive and appropriate care in the sleepy or fatigued patient.