Comorbidity in depression

OBJECTIVE: To define the extent of comorbidity in depression. METHOD: The level of medical comorbidity in depression was assessed on the basis of the empirical literature and results from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) conference on Depression's Toll on Other Illnesses. RESULTS: The global incidence of depression underscores the need to develop integrative treatment strategies for these disorders. An NIMH conference entitled 'The Unwanted Cotraveler: Depression's Toll on Other Illnesses' has highlighted the impact of increased depression prevalence in the presence of medical disorders. Economic data from a large health insurance claims database concludes that the presence of a psychiatric condition, particularly depression, considerably increases the medical costs, as well as the cost of caring for the psychiatric condition. CONCLUSION: Federally sponsored research intervention centres need to address these issues and provide opportunities for diverse medical specialties to collaborate on testing novel treatment approaches.