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Comorbidities are more than one disorder in the same person. For example, if a person is diagnosed with bothsocial anxiety disorder (SAD)andmajor depressive disorder (MDD), they are said to have comorbid (meaning co-existing)anxiety and depressive disorders.

Other comorbid conditions include physical ailments such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, infectious diseases, and dementia. Mental health conditions that tend to show comorbidity include eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse.

At a GlanceIt isn’t uncommon for people to have more than one mental health condition at the same time. Some conditions, like anxiety and substance use, tend to occur commonly alongside other types of mental health problems. This can create complications in terms of diagnosis and treatment, and may have a significant impact on the course of a person’s illness. Keep reading to learn more about common comorbidities in mental health and the impact they may have on symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes.

At a Glance

It isn’t uncommon for people to have more than one mental health condition at the same time. Some conditions, like anxiety and substance use, tend to occur commonly alongside other types of mental health problems. This can create complications in terms of diagnosis and treatment, and may have a significant impact on the course of a person’s illness. Keep reading to learn more about common comorbidities in mental health and the impact they may have on symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment outcomes.

Prevalence of Mental Health Comorbidities

Large-scale studies suggest that comorbid mental health conditions are very common. Having one mental disorder can increase a person’s risk of developing other mental health conditions.

An estimated 46.4% of all people will have some type of mental health condition during their lifetime. Approximately 27.7% will have two comorbid conditions, and 17.3% will have three.

Certain conditions may be associated with a higher risk of having a comorbid mental health condition. One study found that 75% of people with a high risk for psychosis also have a comorbid mental disorder. Disorders that commonly co-occurred in this population included depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma-related disorders, and personality disorders.

Effects of Mental Health Comorbidities

Having two or more mental health conditions at the same time is associated with a range of issues. Research suggests that there is a strong relationship between comorbid mental disorders and:

People who have comorbid mental health conditions tend to be less responsive to treatments and have a poorer prognosis. Research also suggests that having two or more comorbid disorders creates a higher demand for healthcare resources.

Diagnosing Comorbid Mental Health Conditions

Having two or more mental health conditions at the same time can make diagnosis more challenging. Doctors, therapists, and other healthcare professionals must get a clear picture of what a person is experiencing to determine if more than one condition might be causing a person’s symptoms.

Some of the challenges that can occur include:

Doctors and mental health professionals may use a range of tools and tests to accurately diagnose mental health conditions. These can include physical exams and lab tests to rule out medical conditions, psychological assessments, medical histories, and interviews.

How Mental Health Comorbidities Create Treatment Challenges

Comorbid mental health conditions also pose treatment challenges. If you live with multiple conditions or disorders, your doctor must be aware of all medications and over-the-counter drugs you are taking to reduce the risk of medication interactions and side effects.

Having a comorbid psychiatric condition can also affect the success of treatments for substance use disorders. In one study, people who had psychiatric conditions were more likely to drop out or not complete their drug or alcohol treatment program.

Can Mental Health Comorbidities Be Prevented?

Healthcare professionals can play a role in preventing comorbidity. For example, if a social anxiety disorder is left untreated for a long period of time, a person may also develop depression and/or substance abuse in response to the anxiety symptoms.

Prompt diagnosis and treatment of one condition may prevent the development of comorbidities.

At a broader level, coordination between primary doctors and mental health professionals is key to preventing comorbid conditions. If you’ve been diagnosed with a physical and/or mental health condition, keep good records of the care that you receive from various professionals, so that each can be aware of the various treatments you are receiving.

Keep in Mind

If you feel that you have symptoms of more than one mental disorder or those of a physical health condition in addition to a mental disorder, it is important to consult with your primary care physician or mental health professional to determine the best course of action. The unique combination of symptoms that you experience will determine whether medication and/or therapy is best for your situation.

Understanding Autism and Bipolar Disorder

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Koyuncu A, İnce E, Ertekin E, Tükel R.Comorbidity in social anxiety disorder: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.Drugs Context. 2019;8:212573. doi:10.7573/dic.212573He VY, Condon JR, Ralph AP, et al.Long-term outcomes from acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: A data-linkage and survival analysis approach.Circulation. 2016;134(3):222-232. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.020966McGrath JJ, Lim CCW, Plana-Ripoll O, et al.Comorbidity within mental disorders: a comprehensive analysis based on 145 990 survey respondents from 27 countries.Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2020;29:e153. doi:10.1017/S2045796020000633Al-Asadi AM, Klein B, Meyer D.Multiple comorbidities of 21 psychological disorders and relationships with psychosocial variables: a study of the online assessment and diagnostic system within a web-based population.J Med Internet Res. 2015;17(2):e55. doi:10.2196/jmir.4143Solmi M, Soardo L, Kaur S, et al.Meta-analytic prevalence of comorbid mental disorders in individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis: The case for transdiagnostic assessment.Mol Psychiatry. 2023;28(6):2291-2300. doi:10.1038/s41380-023-02029-8Launders N, Dotsikas K, Marston L, Price G, Osborn DPJ, Hayes JF.The impact of comorbid severe mental illness and common chronic physical health conditions on hospitalisation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2022;17(8):e0272498. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0272498McHugh RK.Treatment of co-occurring anxiety disorders and substance use disorders.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(2):99-111. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000058

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Koyuncu A, İnce E, Ertekin E, Tükel R.Comorbidity in social anxiety disorder: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.Drugs Context. 2019;8:212573. doi:10.7573/dic.212573He VY, Condon JR, Ralph AP, et al.Long-term outcomes from acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: A data-linkage and survival analysis approach.Circulation. 2016;134(3):222-232. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.020966McGrath JJ, Lim CCW, Plana-Ripoll O, et al.Comorbidity within mental disorders: a comprehensive analysis based on 145 990 survey respondents from 27 countries.Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2020;29:e153. doi:10.1017/S2045796020000633Al-Asadi AM, Klein B, Meyer D.Multiple comorbidities of 21 psychological disorders and relationships with psychosocial variables: a study of the online assessment and diagnostic system within a web-based population.J Med Internet Res. 2015;17(2):e55. doi:10.2196/jmir.4143Solmi M, Soardo L, Kaur S, et al.Meta-analytic prevalence of comorbid mental disorders in individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis: The case for transdiagnostic assessment.Mol Psychiatry. 2023;28(6):2291-2300. doi:10.1038/s41380-023-02029-8Launders N, Dotsikas K, Marston L, Price G, Osborn DPJ, Hayes JF.The impact of comorbid severe mental illness and common chronic physical health conditions on hospitalisation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2022;17(8):e0272498. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0272498McHugh RK.Treatment of co-occurring anxiety disorders and substance use disorders.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(2):99-111. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000058

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Koyuncu A, İnce E, Ertekin E, Tükel R.Comorbidity in social anxiety disorder: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.Drugs Context. 2019;8:212573. doi:10.7573/dic.212573He VY, Condon JR, Ralph AP, et al.Long-term outcomes from acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: A data-linkage and survival analysis approach.Circulation. 2016;134(3):222-232. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.020966McGrath JJ, Lim CCW, Plana-Ripoll O, et al.Comorbidity within mental disorders: a comprehensive analysis based on 145 990 survey respondents from 27 countries.Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2020;29:e153. doi:10.1017/S2045796020000633Al-Asadi AM, Klein B, Meyer D.Multiple comorbidities of 21 psychological disorders and relationships with psychosocial variables: a study of the online assessment and diagnostic system within a web-based population.J Med Internet Res. 2015;17(2):e55. doi:10.2196/jmir.4143Solmi M, Soardo L, Kaur S, et al.Meta-analytic prevalence of comorbid mental disorders in individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis: The case for transdiagnostic assessment.Mol Psychiatry. 2023;28(6):2291-2300. doi:10.1038/s41380-023-02029-8Launders N, Dotsikas K, Marston L, Price G, Osborn DPJ, Hayes JF.The impact of comorbid severe mental illness and common chronic physical health conditions on hospitalisation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2022;17(8):e0272498. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0272498McHugh RK.Treatment of co-occurring anxiety disorders and substance use disorders.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(2):99-111. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000058

Koyuncu A, İnce E, Ertekin E, Tükel R.Comorbidity in social anxiety disorder: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.Drugs Context. 2019;8:212573. doi:10.7573/dic.212573

He VY, Condon JR, Ralph AP, et al.Long-term outcomes from acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease: A data-linkage and survival analysis approach.Circulation. 2016;134(3):222-232. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.020966

McGrath JJ, Lim CCW, Plana-Ripoll O, et al.Comorbidity within mental disorders: a comprehensive analysis based on 145 990 survey respondents from 27 countries.Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci. 2020;29:e153. doi:10.1017/S2045796020000633

Al-Asadi AM, Klein B, Meyer D.Multiple comorbidities of 21 psychological disorders and relationships with psychosocial variables: a study of the online assessment and diagnostic system within a web-based population.J Med Internet Res. 2015;17(2):e55. doi:10.2196/jmir.4143

Solmi M, Soardo L, Kaur S, et al.Meta-analytic prevalence of comorbid mental disorders in individuals at clinical high risk of psychosis: The case for transdiagnostic assessment.Mol Psychiatry. 2023;28(6):2291-2300. doi:10.1038/s41380-023-02029-8

Launders N, Dotsikas K, Marston L, Price G, Osborn DPJ, Hayes JF.The impact of comorbid severe mental illness and common chronic physical health conditions on hospitalisation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS One. 2022;17(8):e0272498. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0272498

McHugh RK.Treatment of co-occurring anxiety disorders and substance use disorders.Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2015;23(2):99-111. doi:10.1097/HRP.0000000000000058

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