Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an increasingly common diagnosis. Yet most behavioral health providers are unaware that they can play a role in both the assessment and treatment of OSA in their patients. Today we’re joined by an expert in the subfield of sleep psychology, Dr. Phil Gehrman. He shares basic information about what OSA is, how providers can effectively screen for it, and how they can facilitate treatment for this dangerous condition. Despite what you might have heard before, Dr. Gehrman posits that behavioral health providers can play “a huge potential role that really is untapped.”

Dr. Phil Gehrman is Professor of Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He directs the Sleep, Neurobiology and Psychopathology lab at Penn. He has an active research program exploring the mechanisms and treatment of sleep and circadian dysregulation in the context of mental health disorders. Dr. Gehrman’s clinical specialization is on the delivery of cognitive behavioral and chronotherapeutic interventions for insomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, and other sleep disorders. The overarching goal of his work is to advance the understanding of the links between sleep and mental illness through translational research that spans biology to therapeutics.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• STOP Screening tool for Obstructive Sleep Apnea: https://deploymentpsych.org/content/insomnia-tools
• Motivational Interviewing for CPAP Adherence: Rapelli G, Pietrabissa G, Manzoni GM, Bastoni I, Scarpina F, Tovaglieri I, Perger E, Garbarino S, Fanari P, Lombardi C and Castelnuovo G (2021) Improving CPAP Adherence in Adults With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Scoping Review of Motivational Interventions. Front. Psychol. 12:705364. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.705364
• Motivational Interviewing resources: https://deploymentpsych.org/Clinical-Skills-Resources
• Systematic desensitization: https://www.veterantraining.va.gov/insomnia/docs/PAP_Desensitization.pdf
• Practical for Your Practice voice mail: speakpipe.com/cdpp4p
• Practical for Your Practice email: [email protected]

Calls-to-action:

• Incorporate the STOP into your practice
• Become familiar with behavioral and motivational approaches listed above
• Connect with your local sleep medicine clinic
• Reach out to us via Speakpipe with your questions and comments
• Subscribe to the Practical for Your Practice Podcast
• Subscribe to The Center for Deployment Psychology Monthly Email at https://deploymentpsych.org/CDP-MED-Opt-In