<p>If we consider the field of psychiatry, usually a comorbidity is understood as the simultaneous occurrence of two or more mental disorders in the same person. But attention can also treat physical comorbidity, when there is coexistence of physical and mental pathologies for example. But that does not clarify your question. Sometimes DSM can help and sometimes cause confusion. What needs to be highlighted is the crucial role of clinical evaluation. It is through the evaluation process that we can understand the course of the disease development, its predisposing factors, current difficulties and the symptomatological evolution. A good assessment can see if and when there is a major disease and which diseases can act secondarily. Some symptoms may work together, some clinical conditions of comorbidity have a temporally defined course of action. Although the experience of the clinician counts a lot, we cannot ignore the remarkable role played by exams, tests and other diagnostic instruments. In the case of psychological assessment, which is my background, we can often see from the evidence that new insights are made into each case and from there, build a more effective intervention plan. Hope this helps. Good luck.<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2713155/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here</a> you can find some more. </p>

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2019-12-13T23:29:23.580Z
2019-12-13T23:29:23.580Z
mxeliezer
<p>By what criteria can a comorbidity be determined in a diagnosis? Is it pretty much educated guess-work?</p>

<p>I'm casually studying the DSM-5... by what standards can one be confident that a disorder is accompanied by a comorbidity? Is it common to misdiagnose a disorder due to a concurrent comorbidity?</p>

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2019-12-11T09:01:16.800Z
I was confused by the phrasing of this question, in particular: "over being some other form of disorder entirely". A comorbidity _is_ another condition. As far as I know they are conditions which co-occur together quite frequently (across many different people). Is your question how frequent this needs to be for it to be labeled a comorbidity?
Steven Jeuris
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2019-12-11T09:34:36.440Z
@StevenJeuris I edited the question to try to be more clear. Thank you.
Tim Burnett - Bassist
<diagnosis>
How to assess a comorbidity?
Tim Burnett - Bassist
# How to assess a comorbidity?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-12-10)

By what criteria can a comorbidity be determined in a diagnosis? Is it pretty much educated guess-work?

I'm casually studying the DSM-5... by what standards can one be confident that a disorder is accompanied by a comorbidity? Is it common to misdiagnose a disorder due to a concurrent comorbidity?

**Tags:** diagnosis

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I was confused by the phrasing of this question, in particular: "over being some other form of disorder entirely". A comorbidity _is_ another condition. As far as I know they are conditions which co-occur together quite frequently (across many different people). Is your question how frequent this needs to be for it to be labeled a comorbidity?  
> **username_0**: @StevenJeuris I edited the question to try to be more clear. Thank you.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-12-13. Score: 1

If we consider the field of psychiatry, usually a comorbidity is understood as the simultaneous occurrence of two or more mental disorders in the same person. But attention can also treat physical comorbidity, when there is coexistence of physical and mental pathologies for example. But that does not clarify your question. Sometimes DSM can help and sometimes cause confusion. What needs to be highlighted is the crucial role of clinical evaluation. It is through the evaluation process that we can understand the course of the disease development, its predisposing factors, current difficulties and the symptomatological evolution. A good assessment can see if and when there is a major disease and which diseases can act secondarily. Some symptoms may work together, some clinical conditions of comorbidity have a temporally defined course of action. Although the experience of the clinician counts a lot, we cannot ignore the remarkable role played by exams, tests and other diagnostic instruments. In the case of psychological assessment, which is my background, we can often see from the evidence that new insights are made into each case and from there, build a more effective intervention plan. Hope this helps. Good luck.[Here](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2713155/) you can find some more.


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