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Wallace Mendelson, MD

JAMA. 1997;277(12):990-996.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Dr Delbanco:

Mrs G is a 96-year-old widow who has had trouble sleeping for the past 30 years. She has lived in a long-term care facility for the past 3 years, where she was admitted due to increasing physical disability and falls. She has 1 son with chronic depression with whom she has minimal contact. Her insurance is through Medicare and a supplemental commercial insurance program.

Mrs G began to have difficulty falling asleep at the age of 65 years. At that time, and over the next 30 years, she took acetaminophen each evening, which she claims helped her go to sleep. When she developed sciatica 3 years ago, she had more trouble with sleeping and began taking oxazepam irregularly. She started to take it regularly 1 year ago when, in addition to her physical discomfort, she was disturbed by her cognitively impaired roommate in the nursing home.

Mrs G . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Discussant

Footnotes
Dr Mendelson is Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine, and Director of the Sleep Research Laboratory, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill.

Dr Mendelson serves as a consultant for Bristol-Myers Squibb, Searle, and The Upjohn Co, and as a speaker for Wyeth-Ayerst.

This conference took place at the Medicine Grand Rounds of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, West Campus, Boston, Mass, on November 19, 1996.

Reprints: Erin E. Hartman, MS, Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, East Campus, 330 Brookline Ave, LY339, Boston, MA 02215.

Clinical Crossroads at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is produced and edited by Thomas L. Delbanco, MD, and Jennifer Daley, MD; Erin E. Hartman, MS, is managing editor. Clinical Crossroads section editor: Margaret A. Winker, MD, Senior Editor, JAMA.

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