Injurious REM sleep behaviour disorder in narcolepsy with cataplexy contributing to criminal proceedings and divorce

Francesca Ingravallo, Carlos H. Schenck, Giuseppe Plazzi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a case of violent sleep-related behaviour in a patient with narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC) and REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), causing injuries to his wife that resulted in charge of assault, followed by a divorce case. This observation pinpoints that RBD in NC can arise early in a patient's life and that it can be violent, that pharmacological treatment for RBD has to be considered in this case, that lack (or delay) of RBD diagnoses may further exacerbate the psychosocial burden of NC, and that a general awareness of the nature of sleep related violence may avoid unfortunate legal and personal consequences for patients, their partners and families.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)950-952
Number of pages3
JournalSleep Medicine
Volume11
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2010

Keywords

  • Criminal trial
  • Divorce
  • Narcolepsy with Cataplexy
  • REM sleep behavior disorder
  • Sleep related violence
  • Sodium oxybate

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