Wednesday, Oct. 18
14:00 – 17:00 (3 hrs)
Meeting Room: Junior Ballroom D (3rd floor – North Tower)
Christopher Earle, MD, FRCPC; Raed Hawa, MD, FRCPC, DABPN; Atul Khullar, MD FRCPC FAASM; Elliott Lee, MD, FRCPC, DABPN; Michael Mak, MD, FRCPC, FCPA; Malgorzata Rajda, MD, FRCPC; DABPN;

CanMEDS Roles:

1. Medical Expert
2. Scholar
3. Communicator

At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1) Assess insomnia and identify cases suitable for cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I); 2) Implement core CBT-I interventions into psychiatric practice; and 3) Manage insomnia with comorbid psychiatric disorders and sedative-hypnotic use.

Insomnia is highly prevalent in psychiatric practice and successful treatment improves both the incidence and severity of psychiatric comorbidities. Cognitive-behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment for chronic insomnia, although access to trained therapists is a limiting factor in implementation. This introductory course will focus on practical skills and resources to allow implementation of evidence-based CBT-I interventions as part of general psychiatric practice. Case discussion will highlight particular skill sets and strategies useful in managing insomnia comorbid with other psychiatric disorders.

In a series of interactive presentations, the following topics will be discussed:
1. CBT-I Overview, Assessment, and Core Components
2. Sleep Diary and Sleep Hygiene
3. Behavioural Treatment of Insomnia
4. Cognitive Strategies for Managing Insomnia
5. Sedative-Hypnotic Use in CBT-I and Managing Comorbid Psychiatric Conditions
6. Troubleshooting CBT-I and CBT-I Resources