Recent changes in the concept of treatment of insomnia

A consistent diagnosis and classification system is important to ensure a good understanding of the pathophysiology and ultimate treatment of a disorder. Insomnia is one of the more common complaints encountered in the outpatient setting. Despite the prevalence of insomnia, evaluation, treatment, and research has been hampered by a lack of a standard definition of insomnia. In recent years, there have been important advances in the definition and classification of insomnia. The ICSD-3 and DSM-5 sleep-wake disorder classifications have moved away from the causal attributions that were inherent in previous classifications. The aim is simply to acknowledge the bidirectional and interactive effects between sleep disorders and coexisting medical and psychiatric illnesses. When medical and psychiatric illnesses coexist with insomnia, diagnosis of both disorders allows the plan for the management of insomnia to address both issues and apply comprehensive treatment.