Imagine waking up from a night’s sleep and being unable to move. Your body is paralyzed. For a few terrifying seconds or minutes, you can’t call for help.

That’s sleep paralysis, a relatively understudied phenomenon that seems to occur more frequently among African Americans.

“It’s commonly referred to as ‘being ridden by the witch’ in the African-American community,” said Orlena Merritt-Davis, MD, a Wayne State University School of Medicine assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences.

Dr. Merritt-Davis is part of a larger effort at the School of Medicine led by Thomas Uhde, MD, associate dean for research and graduate programs, to better understand the link between panic disorder and different types of frightening arousals from sleep.  Panic disorder is characterized by sudden episodes of overwhelming anxiety (panic attacks) that often include a number of physical symptoms such as sweating, racing heart and shortness of breath.  During an episode, individuals often believe they are having a heart attack or going crazy. Attacks may occur during sleep and, like sleep paralysis, may be extremely frightening.

“Right now, we’re trying to learn more about sleep paralysis and its relationship to panic disorder,” said Dr. Uhde, who is recognized worldwide for his work on panic disorder. “Sleep paralysis in African Americans is remarkably understudied.”

In one study, 15 percent of African Americans who experienced sleep paralysis also had panic disorder, Dr. Merritt-Davis said.  “Unfortunately, African Americans are significantly underrepresented in mental health research,” she said.  “Reasons cited include mistrust of research, stigma associated with mental illness and the lack of African-American researchers.”

The study seeks to recruit 100 volunteers. Half of the group will be African American.

For more information on the study or to volunteer, call (888) 362-7792.