How bad can insomnia get if you don't take control of it?

My friend, who is 16, he is a really hyper talkative guy and outgoing and I never knew til yesterday that he takes pills for insomnia. (LMAO. No wonder) And so I was wondering can insomnia go away or does it stay with you forever if you don't take control of it?

It can screw up your sleep pattern. Make you stay awake all night, not able to fall asleep until you're really tired, which for some people makes the sleep pattern highly irregular.