Treating comorbid depression could increase adherence to interventions for chronic medical illness Comorbid depression is the existence of a depressive disorder (. major depression, dysthymia or adjustment disorder) along with a physical disease (infectious, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, diabetes mellitus or cancer). It is neither a chance phenomenon nor a mere feeling of demoral- ization or sadness brought on by the hardships of a chronic illness. While the prevalence of major depression in the general population can go from an average 3% up to 10%, it is consistently higher in people affected by chronic disease (Figure 3). Patients with comorbid depression are less likely to adhere to medical.
