Is It Common For Someone With A Mental Illness To Have More Than One Condition...

Question: Is it common for someone with a mental illness to have more than one condition, for example schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder at the same time?

Answer (1) In short, yes. Some psychological conditions actually have more things in common than they have separating them - a lot of overlap. For example, anxious feelings very often accompany depression, and vice versa, and varieties of paranoia are common in both Schizophrenia and BPD. The labels applied by psychiatrists usually refer to the unique features of the symptom mix, such as the cycling up and down in 'manic depression' which differentiates it from 'major depression'. Schizophrenia is quite a challenging kettle of fish - one of a handful of conditions which has truly earned its own label. As for BPD - there would be some debate among practitioners as to whether this is an 'illness' in the same sense, or possibly a set of dysfunctional tendencies which can improve with therapy and emotional learning. I feel it's important to treat the whole person - their unique mix of concerns - rather than a 'one size fits all' approach.

Answer provided by Stephanie Thompson, Psychologist

Answer (2) People vary on how they define and describe particular states of mind. Only a thorough assessment would determine what the problem is and how it can be managed. Studies have shown that if a number of professionals assess the same person they will prabably come up with a differnt diagnosis. Some people disagree with using psychiatric terms as it may have the effect of frightening the person who is exhibiting the symptoms.

Answer provided by Susan Alldred-Lugton, Psychologist

Answer (3) While I don't have specific rates to hand, it can be common for a person to have more than one condition at the same time. One example would be substance use issues, co-existing with another condition such as depression, anxiety, or schizophrenia. It is important that co-morbid conditions, as they are called, are adequately identified - sometimes the symptoms of one problem are not seen or are ignored due to other symptoms that may take precedence.

Answer provided by Nicholas Rooke, Psychologist