User:Cdaniels26/Sexsomnia

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Polysomnography is a study conducted while the individual being observed is asleep. A polysomnograph (PSG) is a recording of an individual's body functions as they sleep. Complete sleep studies are most commonly facilitated at a designated sleep center. Specialized electrodes and monitors are connected to the individual and remain in place throughout study. Video cameras can be used in certain cases to record physical behaviors occurring while the individual is asleep. Typically the unwanted sexual behaviors do not present on film, therefore the majority of information is taken from a sleep study.

A PSG will not be able to determine a diagnosis every time is is performed, but it is still very beneficial in determining what diagnoses should be considered and what diagnoses can be excluded. For instance, some times other diagnoses like epilepsy might be more appropriate diagnosis based off of the body functions recorded by the PSG. Though PSG can be effective in general in determining what diagnoses to consider and exclude, this does not exactly hold true in forensic evaluations. The PSG study may identify sexsomnia but the study cannot determine whether it was responsible for an individual's actions or present during the time of an alleged crime. Likewise, the study may not identify sexsomnia but that does not mean that it has not occurred during certain occasions. So, particularly in legal situations where a PSG cannot be used solely to identify the presence of sexsomnia, it is essential to obtain collateral information from as many sources as possible. This would include interviews with friends, family, and significant others, as well as medical records concerning the individual's sleep previous patterns.