• M Morfeld and A Friedrichs.
• Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal, Osterburger Str. 25, 39576, Stendal. matthias.morfeld@hs-magdeburg.de
• Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz. 2011 Jan 1;54(1):90-7.

AbstractPsychosocial comorbidity in somatic disorders is considered an important problem from the epidemiological point of view as well as from the perspective of care. Therefore, the different origins or development are etiologically discussed. In this article, an overview of the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity of musculoskeletal disorders, using chronic back pain in somatic medical rehabilitation as an example, is given. According to the statistics of the German pension insurance fund, musculoskeletal diseases are the most common indication. In this article, the opportunities and the challenges for medical rehabilitation in managing psychosocial comorbidity are discussed. Starting with the description of medical rehabilitation in Germany, the significance of psychosocial comorbidity in medical rehabilitation and the resulting opportunities arising from this special setting to screen for psychological comorbidity are examined. These aspects are discussed based on articles from 2000-2010 in the field of orthopedic inpatient medical rehabilitation. A total of ten studies, focusing on the medical rehabilitation of chronic back pain, were identified. It was found that three papers reported data on the prevalence of psychological comorbidity and addressed diagnostic screening. This is discussed from a perspective that addresses potential barriers on the part of therapists as well as the patients. More attention should be directed to implementing the appropriate screening and follow-up care.

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