What is pluripathology?
Pluripathology is a primary disease or condition coexisting with other conditions, but often independent of another disease or disorder. There are some diseases that are more likely than others to be comorbid with each other. In addition to being a widely used term in medicine, pluripathology is frequently mentioned in psychology.
In the context of psychology, pluripathology refers to the existence of more than one mental disorder in relation to an initial diagnosis, or the reason why a patient is referred when presenting with compatible symptomatology from the outset. An example of this in psychology occurs when a patient may have schizophrenia along with a personality disorder. This may be because the clinician cannot perceive a major difference between the two illnesses.
There is no single treatment.
What examples of pluripathology appear in psychology?
The following examples are usually comorbid:
- Depressive disorders: these often coexist with conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder, with substance abuse and serious illness.
- Anxiety disorders: These disorders can be related to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, among others.
- Schizophrenia: This condition is comorbid with depression, anxiety and addiction.
- Addiction: Patients develop other psychological disorders as a result of their addictions.
How does psychology treat pluripathology diseases?
The combination of conditions affects the way cases are managed for treatment in patients suffering from pluripathology. There is no single approach that is applicable to all patients.