Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Do Mental Health Providers Have a Role?

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 expl ...