%0 Journal Article
%T An Overview and Proposed Research Framework for Studying Co
%A Angela D. Bryan
%A Jarrod M. Ellingson
%A Kent E. Hutchison
%A L. Cinnamon Bidwell
%A Sarah L. Hagerty
%A Timothy B. Helmuth
%J Perspectives on Psychological Science
%@ 1745-6924
%D 2019
%R 10.1177/1745691619827010
%X Mental- and physical-health conditions co-occur at a rate much higher than chance. Of patients who have a mental-health condition, more than half also have a physical disease, and these cases are associated with increased human suffering and societal cost. Comorbidity research to date has focused on co-occurring mental- and physical-health disorders separately, and relatively little research has examined the co-occurrence of mental- and physical-health dysfunction. In addition, even less is known about why mental- and physical-health dysfunction co-occurs or how to treat these cases. Thus, the aims of this article are to highlight the need for research at the intersection of physical- and mental-health dysfunction and to provide guidance on how to research cases of comorbidity. Toward these ends, we begin by presenting a selective overview of the possible role of biological processes in the co-occurrence of physical- and mental-health dysfunction using specific illustrative examples. Specifically, we outline how biological processes within the immune system and gastrointestinal system could underlie depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and their co-occurrence. We then advance and discuss a proposed research framework, including methodological and analytic guidance, that researchers could use when studying the phenomenon of co-occurring physical- and mental-health dysfunction
%K comorbidity
%K inflammation
%K gut microbiome
%K depression
%K irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
%K mental health
%K physical health
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1745691619827010