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Schizophrenia, although a disabling disorder in itself, is associated with a host of comorbidities that further burden the patient.[APA, 2013; Buckley et al., 2009; Tsai & Rosenheck, 2013] These include psychiatric and somatic conditions.[Buckley et al., 2009; Tsai & Rosenheck, 2013; Leucht et al., 2007; APA, 2013]
The burden of comorbidity associated with schizophrenia means that it is important to focus on raising the awareness of physicians about the association between schizophrenia and other physical illness, and ensuring that psychiatrists are also skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of non-psychiatric conditions.[Leucht et al., 2007]
References:
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Fifth Edition (DSM-5™). © American Psychiatric Association, 2013.
Buckley PF, Miller BJ, Lehrer DS, Castle DJ. Psychiatric comorbidities and schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull 2009; 35 (2): 383–402.
Leucht S, Burkard T, Henderson J, et al. Physical illness and schizophrenia: a review of the literature. Acta Psychiatr Scand 2007; 116 (5): 317–333.
Tsai J, Rosenheck RA. Psychiatric comorbidity among adults with schizophrenia: a latent class analysis. Psychiatry Res 2013; 210 (1): 16–20.
Crump C, Winkleby MA, Sundquist K, Sundquist J. Comorbidities and mortality in persons with schizophrenia: a Swedish national cohort study. Am J Psychiatry 2013; 170 (3): 324–333.
Hjorthøj C, Stürup AE, McGrath JJ, Nordentoft M. Years of potential life lost and life expectancy in schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Psychiatry 2017; 4 (4): 295–301.
Taipale H, Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Alexanderson K, et al. Antipsychotics and mortality in a nationwide cohort of 29,823 patients with schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2017. [Epub].