Psychiatric aspects of chronic physical disease

Nearly one-third of people with a long-term physical condition have a co-morbid mental health disorder such as depression or anxiety. It is important to look into this group of patients to understand how to improve our daily practice to benefit both patients and the health service. Co-morbidity of physical and mental illness such as major depression is well known to increase impairment of functioning levels. Here, we summarize recent findings on the prevalence of co-morbid mental and chronic physical health and the impact on overall health.