What it means:
Having more than one disease or disorder
How common is it in psychiatry? Very. Some disorders, like Tourettes syndrome, rarely occur on their own while others just like to hang out together, like mood and panic disorders.
Co-morbidity causes a special problem for sufferers--incredulity. I can't tell you how often I've heard people say that they can't help but think people with 'lists' of mental disorders are lying or self diagnosed.
Once while talking to an acquaintance, he asked why I knew so much about OCD and I told him that I had it. I didn't know him well, so I didn't feel comfortable telling him about my other disorders. He seemed interested and understanding. Later on when I felt better about it, I shared the rest and suddenly he treated me like I was some gullible sap who mindlessly accepts any diagnosis a doctor says.
In reality it makes perfect sense when you break it down:
Tourettes frequently coexists with OCD
Depression often occurs with panic disorders (like OCD)
Axis II disorders (aka personality disorders) are common among patients with one or more Axis I disorders (Tourette's syndrome, OCD, and Major Depressive Disorder are all examples of Axis I disorders)
Criticism:
Not all psychologists agree with the current diagnostic system, in part because of the high co-morbidity rates. It was put together this way originally because just because two disorders usually occur together, doesn't mean they must. Attempting to draw hard lines between them all is messy but straightforward. Some psychologists propose a system in which severity corresponds with the complexity of the patient's manifesting symptoms.
References:
Maj, Mario. 'Psychiatric comorbidity':
an artefact of current diagnostic
systems? The British Journal of Psychiatry
2005 186: 182-184.
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