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Although individuals with HIV are
living longer due to antiretroviral drug therapy (ART), many of them also
suffer from psychological disorders such as depression, neurocognitive
disorders, and substance use disorders. An international team from the United
States, Haiti, Uganda, and Tanzania recently released the first of a five-part
policy report on improving HIV patient outcomes by integrating treatment for
HIV and comorbid mental illness. According to the authors, some mechanisms link
HIV with mental illness. These include social conditions under which patients
live, fears about employment and housing, food security, and social stigma.
Also, HIV can affect the central nervous system, causing long-term cognitive
problems that ART may not help and place the patient at additional risk of
contracting other infections.
According to the authors, scientific
literature describes all of these problems but does not have much clinical data
on programs to integrate the two types of diseases. The authors see potential
in treating ailments such as depression and alcohol abuse disorder along with
HIV, and beginning ART earlier to prevent some of the neurocognitive
impairment. They also recommend integrating screenings and brief
psychotherapeutic interventions with HIV care. They contend that the case for
integrating mental health care into medical treatment is supported by good
studies and that such integration may increase ART effectiveness for patients
in developing countries who may not access mental health care separately, even
if it is free.
The full report, “Grand Challenges:
Improving HIV Treatment Outcomes by Integrating Interventions for Co-Morbid
Mental Illness,” was published in the journal PLoS Med (2013; doi: 10(5):
e1001447).
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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