A third factor in why co-occurring disorders are so common when it comes to mental illness is that chronic (long-term) drug or alcohol use can adversely impact the brain, making a person more likely to develop mental illness.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, nearly 9.2 million adults in the U.S. have a comorbidity that includes substance abuse and a mental illness or two types of mental illness such as anxiety and depression. 5
Common Comorbidities. Treatment. Comorbidity is the presence of two or more conditions occurring in a person, either at the same time, or successively (one condition that occurs right after the other). Conditions described as comorbidities are often long-term (chronic) conditions. When two or more illnesses or conditions happen at ...
Depression and Anxiety . One of the most common examples of comorbidity in the mental health field is depression and anxiety disorder. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), some sources estimate that nearly 60% of those with anxiety also have symptoms of depression and visa versa. 8 .
In fact, there are approximately 236 medical problems (including 13 types of cancer) linked with obesity, according to the Obesity Medicine Association. 2 Common comorbidities for those who are obese include: Insulin resistance: A condition that is considered a precursor to type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes.
There are many different possibilities of comorbidities, from coexisting mental illness and drug abuse to co-occurring conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. A comorbid condition can include a physical illness and a mental illness (such as cancer and major depressive disorder).
When two or more illnesses or conditions happen at the same time or successively, it’s also referred to as comorbid. Other names for comorbid conditions include co-occurring conditions, coexisting conditions, and less commonly, multiple chronic conditions, as well as multimorbidity.