Narcolepsy

One of the more interesting disorders is a genetic neurological disorder called narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is unique and fascinating to the psychological mind, but to the victim it is torturous. It is a disorder that brings with it much embarrassment and stress to the sufferer. Narcoleptics can take comfort however, knowing that although there is no cure for narcolepsy there are a number of successful treatments available. As this research unfolds, narcolepsy will be explained in detail as well as some of its history and treatments. Perhaps by becoming familiar and aware of it, we can better deal with and treat its patients.
             Narcolepsy is a genetically based sleep disorder that deals with the mechanisms controlling sleep and waking. Narcolepsy is characterized by sudden extreme spells of sleepiness. This sleepiness is present in even the most well rested narcoleptic. However, this feature alone does not determine or delegate that a patient has narcolepsy. Aside from this sudden sleepiness, the victim must also report cataplexy, sleep paralysis and hypnogogic hallucinations. In order to be considered truly narcoleptic, all of these elements must be present in the individual (Pressman & Orr, 1997). Cataplexy is a sudden loss of muscle control, this loss usually happens while the patient sleeps, however narcoleptics experience this while awake. The cataplexy is as mild as falling to the ground briefly, to not being able to move at all. Hypnogogic and hypnopompic hallucinations are the second determinate of narcolepsy. These hallucinations are usually vivid visual or auditory hallucinations, experienced right after or before REM sleep. The narcoleptic will report seeing these images prematurely before REM sets in, or after the patient is awake the hallucination will not stop. Since these hallucinations are so real, often the patient mistakes them for something else and becomes very frightened.