Multiple Diagnoses

[HA]

Sometimes I see people describing themselves as having multiple diagnoses. It really struck me when I was looking at the online dating site and saw this in the majority of the descriptions people gave of their diagnosis.

Some would say they have bipolar and schizoaffective disorder or anxiety disorder and schizophrenia. Bipolar, borderline personality and eating disorder may be another. PTSD and bipolar another.

How many diagnosis can a person have at one time? At what point does one disorder get added to another?

 

[David Baxter PhD]

DSM-IV certainly allows for more than one Axis I disorder (e.g., major depressive disorder plus an anxiety disorder plus PTSD would be a possible and plausible combination) as well as an Axis II (personality) disorder, such as dependent personality disorder or borderline personality disorder, etc.