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Critical Issues in the Evaluation of Comorbidity of Psychiatric Disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 August 2018

Hans-Ulrich Wittchen
Hans-Ulrich Wittchen*
Affiliation:
Clinical Psychology, Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstrasse 10, 80804 München, Germany
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Abstract

Comorbidity has become an increasingly popular theme in psychiatry and clinical psychology, although its heuristic value was recognised long ago. Frequently used in research and practice, no definition of comorbidity is uniformly accepted and it has no comprehensive and coherent theoretical framework. These factors have led to substantial variation in the magnitude of comorbidity across studies. The variability in the definition, assessment and design of comorbidity studies has led to an increasingly complex and confusing picture about the potential value of this concept. The full exploration of mechanisms of comorbidity requires an interdisciplinary approach to investigating nosology, assessment, and underlying models of comorbidity, as well as experimental study designs beyond the scope of clinical and epidemiological studies. A more precise specification of comorbidity patterns might help identify common biochemical and cognitive markers relevant in the aetiology of specific mental disorders as well as comorbid conditions. Critical issues that might help us understand and explain the variability of findings are described.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 168 , Issue S30: Comorbidity of Mood Disorders , June 1996 , pp. 9 - 16
Copyright
Copyright © 1996 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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