Department of Psychiatry Receives Two Grants

Two Department of Psychiatry faculty members recently earned funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) for research projects to study the treatment of insomnia.

Christina McCrae, PhD, received a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study a non-drug alternative for the treatment of chronic pain in women who suffer from fibromyalgia, a disorder characterized by widespread pain.

Pain medications, including opiates, are the most common approach but are not always effective and can lead to serious side-effects. The vast majority of women suffering from fibromyalgia also suffer from chronic sleep insomnia. McCrae seeks to determine whether improving sleep patterns using cognitive-behavioral treatment will lead to an improved response to pain caused by fibromyalgia.

Mary Beth Miller, PhD, received a two-year research award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) to test an evidence-based insomnia treatment for veterans engaged in outpatient alcohol treatment.

Three in four people with alcohol use disorder report co-occurring symptoms of insomnia, and that can lead to relapse among those who have quit drinking. Miller hopes to show that effective treatment of insomnia will enhance attention and emotion regulation among those with alcohol use disorders.