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What Is a Comorbid Psychiatric Disorder?
A comorbid psychiatric disorder is the term used for when a patient meets the diagnostic criteria for more than one mental illness. The substance abuse population has a high incidence of comorbid psychiatric disorder diagnosis. Research has discovered substance abusers often take drugs as a way to self-medicate for a co-existing mental illness. People without substance abuse issues can also be diagnosed with comorbid psychiatric disorder.
Depression, oppositional defiant disorder, and anxiety disorder are typical comorbid disorders seen in the Asperger's population. One study also concluded that 26 percent of Asperger study subjects also had comorbid tic disorders. Asperger's is a high-functioning form of autism.
The difficulty of treating a patient with comorbid psychiatric disorder is in determining that two or more disorders exist. Once the individual disorders are identified, mental health professionals also must determine which disorder is causing which symptoms so that effective treatment can be offered. Due to the fact that several mental illnesses have similar symptoms, it is important to determine whether true comorbid psychiatric disorder exists in the client.
In some cases, what appears to be a comorbid psychiatric disorder is actually drug or alcohol addiction, which can give the appearance of comorbid issues. Mental health professionals must carefully extract all evidence of substance abuse and then determine if evidence of additional mental illness still exists. Often, when the substance abuse issues are addressed, the perceived comorbid issue goes away.
A diagnostic checklist is used to determine true comorbidity. The symptoms experienced by the client are held against the diagnostic criteria. While there is the potential for overlapping symptoms, true comorbid disorder will display clear and distinct symptoms of more than one psychiatric illness.
Another feature of comorbid disorder involves exaggerated symptoms of one of the disorders. In a client who is both an alcoholic and has anxiety disorder, the alcoholic symptoms will be more obvious and severe than they would be in a client who only suffered from alcoholism. The manic phases of bipolar disorder may become more obvious when expressed by someone who is also a drug addict.
One study at a Korean university determined that alcoholics with comorbid psychiatric disorder sought help from mental health professionals more often than their singularly alcoholic peers did. Treatment for comorbid disorder is the same as treatment for single disorders. Medications, therapy sessions, and other methods are employed to address each disorder. For example, for a patient with depression and addiction, antidepressants are usually combined with substance abuse treatment.
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![When a patient has more than one mental illness, they have a comorbid psychiatric disorder.]()
By: Photographee.euWhen a patient has more than one mental illness, they have a comorbid psychiatric disorder. -
![The difficulty of treating a patient with comorbid psychiatric disorder is in determining that two or more disorders exist.]()
By: Linda MoreThe difficulty of treating a patient with comorbid psychiatric disorder is in determining that two or more disorders exist. -
![Depression and substance abuse are often comorbid psychiatric disorders.]()
By: LoloStockDepression and substance abuse are often comorbid psychiatric disorders. -
![Some mental disorders are known to run in families.]()
By: Felix MizioznikovSome mental disorders are known to run in families. -
![Research has discovered substance abusers often take drugs as a way to self-medicate for a co-existing mental illness.]()
By: slavaResearch has discovered substance abusers often take drugs as a way to self-medicate for a co-existing mental illness. -
![Some patients with anxiety will try to self medicate with alcohol.]()
By: Piotr MarcinskiSome patients with anxiety will try to self medicate with alcohol.
Discussion Comments
@burcinc-- I personally don't take "comorbid psychiatric disorder" seriously. The truth is that diagnosing mental illness is a bit subjective. It's possible for someone to see three different psychiatrists and receive three different diagnoses. Sometimes doctors misdiagnose as well.
@burcinc-- Comorbidity simply means that someone is suffering from two or more conditions or diseases at the same time. The term is not limited to psychiatry. For example, my mom has both diabetes and high blood pressure. That's also comorbidity.
Comorbid psychiatric disorder means the existence of two or more unrelated psychiatric conditions coexisting at the same time. The article gave some good examples, such as an individual suffering from bipolar disorder and general anxiety disorder at the same time. As long as a condition is medically recognized as a separate illness from others, it can be included in a comorbidity assessment. So, to answer your question, yes. Someone with depression and anxiety has comorbidity.
But being labeled with this tag is not a bad thing. It can help doctors determine better and more effective treatment methods. Or it can point to a possible connection between the different disorders and their prevalence.
So is someone suffering from both depression and anxiety considered to have comorbid psychiatric disorder?
I find this surprising because as far as I know, depression and anxiety are closely linked and are often seen together. I also feel that these are temporary and treatable disorders. I don't think that people who have both should be labeled with comorbidity.
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