Volume 38 · Number 11
NOVEMBER 2008
The Role of Comorbidity in Severity and Outcome
By Jan Fawcett, MD
This November issue of Psychiatric Annals, guest edited by Barbara Mason, MD, PhD, focuses on comorbidity. Psychiatric diagnoses face many challenges generated by the natural heterogeneity that is intrinsic to humanity. But the inevitable presence of “comorbidity,” with a large portion of psychiatric disorders, complicates our understanding and treatment even further. I’ve always said that psychiatry is the right discipline for people who like to deal with messy issues. What are the most common comorbidities? The one’s dealt with in this series — anxiety, alcohol, and drug dependence — are most common.
Challenges in Comorbidity
Barbara J. Mason, PhD
Clinical Implications of Epidemiologic Data for Diagnosis and Treatment of Psychiatric Comorbidity
Sharon Samet, PhD;
Deborah Hasin, PhD
Diagnostic and Treatment Considerations: Bipolar Patients with Comorbid Substance Use Disorders
Ihsan Salloum, MD, MPH;
Antoine Douaihy, MD;
Lauren Williams, MD
Anxiety Disorders with Comorbid Substance Use Disorders: Diagnostic and Treatment Considerations
Sudie E. Back, PhD;
Kathleen T. Brady, MD, PhD
Treatment of Co-occurring Depression and Substance Dependence: Using Meta-analysis to Guide Clinical Recommendations
Edward V. Nunes, MD;
Frances R. Levin, MD
Psychiatric Risk Factors for Suicide in the Alcohol-dependent Patient
Kenneth R. Conner, PsyD, MPH;
Michael S. McCloskey, PhD;
Paul R. Duberstein, PhD
