Comps - Psychopathology (Subdomain 6)

Question 1

What are some important things to consider about the comorbidity of mental disorders? (Boyd et al., 1984; Angst et al., 2002)

Answer 1

1. Feinstein (1970) coined the term comorbidity
2. Discussed in the aftermath of the DSM-III, when exclusionary criteria were first introduced
3. Boyd and colleagues published an analysis of the conceptual problems in an attempt to operationalize exclusionary criteria in the DSM-III
4. Frequency of individuals with comorbidity is more common than those with a single disorder

Question 2

What is the difference between co-occurrence and correlations? (Lilienfeld et al., 1994)

Answer 2

-Comorbidity is difficult to study because the term encompasses both co-occurrence and correlation
-Concern is not the presence of 2 disorders, but the likelihood that people who meet the criteria for a specific disorder are much more likely to meet the criteria for another
-These authors argue that the term “comorbidity” should be avoided entirely because it reinforces categories about which little is known and evokes controversy
-Others argue that it is useful to research the validity of diagnostic constructs

Question 3

What are common comorbid disorders? (Kim et al., 2009)

Answer 3

-Anxiety, affective, and SUDs have high rates of comorbidity (e.g., 25-50% of individuals with one meet criteria for another, particularly anxiety and mood)
-Mental disorders commonly comorbid with physical conditions (25%)

Question 4

What are the differences between clinical and nonclinical samples? (Krueger & Markon, 2006)

Answer 4

-Comorbid cases are more common in a clinical population, despite the fact that the probability of help-seeking for specific diagnoses is independent – community data suggests that comorbidity is still a concern after controlling for this
-Confusion regarding comorbidity can be resolved using quantitative models