The comorability of depression indicates the likelihood that the disorder will occur with other physical and psychological conditions, an example: experts say that between 60 and 70% of people with depression also suffer from anxiety, a condition that is also commonly associated with high blood pressure. diabetes, cardiovascular problems, etc.
When we talk about comorability, we mean the fact that a person suffers from at least two diseases or psychological disorders, however strange it may seem, is very common, especially when it comes to major depression.
- For many doctors.
- Psychologists and psychiatrists.
- This is a big challenge and.
- In some cases.
- Can be an even more serious problem than depression itself.
We know, for example, that certain diseases may increase the risk of developing a mood disorder, for example, patients with cancer, fibromyalgia or chronic pain are more likely to experience such situations.
People who have had a stroke, diabetes, Crohn’s disease or tuberculosis are also more likely to develop a psychological disorder at some point. Depressive disorder, and especially major depression, are recurrent realities that need to be taken into account.
“Our strengths are born of our vulnerabilities. ” -Sigmund Freud-
First of all, it should be remembered that depression has a very negative impact on a person’s life, this decreases their motivation, their initiative, alters brain neurochemistry, slows them down, eats it worse, feels exhausted and can even weaken their immune system. System.
All of this makes the individual more vulnerable to other diseases. Several studies, such as that conducted by Chonnan National University (South Korea), show that there are a number of variables that increase this comorability with depression.
Are:
A WHO (World Health Organization) study by José Manoel Bertolote and Lorenzo Tarsitani showed that in most of the 500 million mental disorders currently diagnosed, depression is also present.
When these patients attend primary care they are not always diagnosed accurately, it is estimated that this depressive disorder is identified only in 25 to 50% of cases, this error of not assessing this psychological reality can have serious consequences for the affected person. .
If we could diagnose each patient accurately, we could propose appropriate strategies to improve their quality of life and, in turn, prevent other problems.
Seeing, for example, a patient with fibromyalgia or Crohn’s disease, but ignoring depression, will make their daily lives much worse, no matter how direct the intervention about their disease.
Experts such as David Barlow, director of the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University, say that anxiety and depression are not just two disorders that generally coexist in 70% of cases, they are believed to actually be two faces of the same. Psychological trastorn.
Whatever it may seem, we are facing a very serious public health problem, it must be taken into account that this comorability implies a lower recovery, in addition to suffering the professional performance of the patient and the quality of their relationships also deteriorated.
So what do we need in these cases?WHO stresses that we must work on the following:
In conclusion, we must focus on the need to always receive correct diagnoses, have adequate treatment and a plan to prevent relapses.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, for example, has a very high success rate. In addition, to avoid a new onset of depression and anxiety, it has been shown that mindfulness can also be of great help.