A new study is the first to show that the treatment of insomnia in veterans is associated with a significant reduction in suicidal ideation.
Results show that suicidal ideation decreased by 33 percent following up to six sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I). Further analysis found that the reduction in insomnia severity achieved during CBT-I was associated with a concurrent decrease in the odds of suicidal ideation. This relationship remained significant after controlling for potential confounders such as change in depression severity.
"It was striking to see that the reduction in insomnia severity was associated with reduced suicidal ideation even after controlling for improvement in depression severity," said co-lead author Bradley Karlin, PhD, ABPP, who is currently Chief of Mental Health and Aging at the Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC). Karlin served as National Mental Health Director for Psychotherapy and Psychogeriatrics in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Central Office at the time the evaluation was conducted. "The results suggest that effective treatment of insomnia with CBT-I is an important target for reducing suicide risk among veterans and others at risk for suicide," said Karlin.
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