Barriers to the treatment of insomnia from patient's perspectives: a qualitative study

Insomnia is a common problem in general population. It is associated with negative consequences on daily living. Insomnia is an under recognized disease, and patients may seek treatment very late, which may lead to chronicity of the disorder and aggravation of its adverse consequences. Determination of the barriers to insomnia treatment may be helpful for early diagnosis and designing treatment plans for this disorder. The aim of study was to determine the barriers to insomnia treatment from patient's views.
Material and This qualitative study was performed by using conventional content analysis. Our participants were selected by purposive sampling with insomnia who had referred to Sleep Disorders Research Center of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences from April to October 2015. Data collection was performed by semi- structure interview. The interviews were recorded by an audio tape recorder, and transcribed. Then, they were analyzed by qualitative methods.
Barriers to the treatment of insomnia included three main categories: "overlooking insomnia", "worries about insomnia treatment", and "janus faced nature of insomnia treatment". The subjects in the category of "overlooking insomnia" had lack of belief's about insomnia as an illness which should be treated. The patients in the second category, "worries about insomnia treatment", described their concerns about the treatment of insomnia. The subjects in the category of" janu faced nature of insomnia treatment" explained the inappropriate pattern of insomnia treatment in the study population.
According to the results, patient's views about insomnia, their worries about treatment, and the current pattern of insomnia treatment were the main barriers to the insomnia treatment. Barriers to the treatment of insomnia should be taken into consideration for the future treatment programs.