Diagnostic psychiatric and somatic comorbidity in patients with depression in the Western Balkan countries.

Introduction: This paper aims to examine the frequency and significance of diagnostic comorbidity of psychiatric disorders and somatic diseases in a sample of patients with depression as well as present current psychopharmacological treatment of the patients in the sample.

Methods: The subjects in this study sample were 489 patients from the four Western Balkan countries with current primary diagnosis of major depression according to ICD 10. Comorbid psychiatric disorders and non-psychiatric illnesses were noted according to ICD 10 criteria during the diagnostic interview and analysed later.