Comorbidity
Last update: 06/10/2008

 Comorbidity of mental disorders is substantial in clinical populations as well as in the general population.

 
§          In the ESEMeD countries, the proportion of respondents with a 12-month mood disorder who also met criteria for anxiety or substance use disorder was 43.8%.
§          Among those with an anxiety disorder, 24.0% also had a comorbid disorder.
§          For alcohol this figure was 31.3%.
 
Of the specific mood disorders, dysthymia had higher rates of comorbidity than major depression (74.3% vs. 54.2%).
 
In general, anxiety disorders were highly comorbid.
 
-         Agoraphobia (87.4%)
-         GAD (76.0%)
-         panic disorder (69.0%)
were the most commonly comorbid anxiety disorders.
 
-         specific phobia (26.4%)
-         social phobia (50.0%)
were the least comorbid.
 
Alcohol dependence was much more frequently comorbid with other disorders (43.1%) than alcohol abuse (25.4%). Alcohol abuse was the least comorbid of all the separate disorders.
 
Comorbidity patterns were consistent cross-nationally.
 
Pure and comorbid risk profiles were different.
 
Risk factors for comorbidity of mood and anxiety disorders were female gender, younger age, lower educational level, higher degree of urbanicity, not living with a partner, and unemployment. Only younger people were at greater risk for comorbidity of alcohol disorder with mood, anxiety disorders, or both.
 
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Used for this summary:

ESEMeD/MHEDEA 2000 Investigators H. 12-Month comorbidity patterns and associated factors in Europe: results from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD) project.
Acta Psychiatr Scand 2004;109(suppl 420): 28-37 (Published)

Alonso J, Lepine JP.Overview of key data from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD)
. J Clin Psychiatry 2007;68(Suppl 2): 3-9

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List of Articles related to comorbidity

Alonso J, Angermeyer MC, Bernert S, Bruffaerts R, Brugha TS, Bryson H. 12-Month comorbidity patterns and associated factors in Europe: results from the European Study of the Epidemiology of Mental Disorders (ESEMeD) project.
Acta Psychiatr Scand 2004;109(suppl 420): 28-37. (Published)

Autonell J, Vila F, Pinto-Meza A, Vilagut G, Codony M, Almansa J, Muñoz PE, et al (... Alonso J, Haro JM ...).. Prevalencia-año de la comorbilidad de los trastornos mentales y factores de riesgo sociodemográficos asociados en la población general de España. Resultados del estudio ESEMeD-España. [One year prevalence of mental disorders comorbidity and associated socio-demographic risk factors in the general population of Spain.]. (Spanish)
Actas Esp Psiquiatr 2007; 35(suppl 2):4-11. (Published)

Scott KM, Von Korff M, Alonso J, Angermeyer MC, Bromet E, Fayyad J, et al. . Mental-physical co-morbidity and its relationship with disability: results from the World Mental Health Surveys.
Psychol Med. 2008 Mar 26;:1-11 [Epub ahead of print] (Published)

Gureje O, Akinpelu A, Uwakwe R, Udofia O, Wakil A. Comorbidity and impact of chronic spinal pain in Nigeria.
Spine 2007; (in press) (Published)

Baca-Baldomero E, Bulbena A, Domingo-Salvany A, Leal-Cercós C, López-Ibor JJ, Rajmil L, Ramos J, Vallejo-Ruiloba J, Vázquez-Barquero JL.. El estudio ESEMeD-España: comentarios del Comité Científico Español. (Spanish)
Actas Esp Psiquiatr 2007; 35(suppl 2):37-38. (Published)

Tsang A, von Korff M, Alonso J, Angermeyer MC , Borges G, Bromet E, et al.. Common chronic pain conditions in developed and developing countries: Gender and age differences and comorbidity with depression-anxiety disorders.
Journal of Pain 2008; (Published)

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