SAUL ROTHENBERG, PhD: For some people, there may be a stigma about going to the doctor to discuss a sleep problem, because there is an awareness that there is a relation between people with emotional problems and sleep problems. And it is the case that when people have emotional problems, they are more likely to have a sleep problem than people without an emotional problem. However, that by no means means that a person who has a sleep problem necessarily has an emotional problem.
RAFAEL PELAYO, MD: Another stigma sometimes associated with this is taking medication. That if you go see the doctor, he's just going to give you pills and taking pills is bad, it's sinful; you're going to get addicted.
ANNOUNCER: And while older classes of prescription medications might have had many unwanted side effects, a newer class called non-benzodiazepines are much improved.
MICHAEL THORPY, MD: We now understand the causes of sleep difficulties far better than we did in the past. And we have far better treatments available. So patients that are concerned about whether their physician is going to be able to handle their sleep problems should be reassured that physicians are far better equipped to be able to deal with these problems now.
ANNOUNCER: In years past, there were few options a doctor could offer.
MICHAEL THORPY, MD: Unfortunately, we tend to have come from a time when, although people had sleep problems, they didn't have many ways of dealing with them, and most physicians really didn't understand much about sleep disorders.
SAUL ROTHENBERG, PhD: In the last thirty years, we've developed many non-medication strategies that are very effective for dealing with sleep problems.
