Updated on October 22, 2024.
More than half of all HIV patients have some sort of mental health disorder.
Transcript
Learning how your mind works and learning how to work with your mind helps you realize how much power you actually have, especially when it comes to chronic disease management.
[MUSIC PLAYING] Mental health is critical to our whole body health.
And it's especially important for anyone dealing with chronic conditions. Yeah, I think often we've spent so much time separating
the mind from the body, you know. It's like taking care of physical things, taking care of mental things. We really can't separate the two.
It's really the whole person, the whole human. An HIV diagnosis can really take a toll on an individual's mental health.
What have you seen in this area, Dr. Jud? You're absolutely right. It can take a toll. In fact, mood disorders are the most common
psychiatric complication associated with HIV. So what sort of mood disorders are we talking about exactly? Let's look at anxiety and depression in this case.
HIV, anxiety, and depression are interlinked. More than half of people with HIV have some type of mental health disorder.
Depression and anxiety in particular are more prevalent in those with HIV than the general population. And here are some numbers to back that up.
15.8% of people with HIV have some form of general anxiety disorder compared to 2.1% of the general population.
A meta-analysis of 10 studies suggested that HIV-positive people had twice the risk for depression than those who were at risk for HIV but not infected.
So in what ways can anxiety and depression result from HIV? So let's start with anxiety. Anxiety in HIV-positive patients can be triggered
by a variety of things. One, the initial HIV diagnosis. Another source of anxiety can be a diagnosis
of an opportunistic infection, an illness that occurs due to a weakened immune system. Certain HIV medications can also cause anxiety.
And, really, any reminder of the ongoing HIV infection may trigger anxiety. Depression, meanwhile, can be triggered by stigma associated with HIV, not
disclosing a seropositive status, losing a loved one to HIV, or treatment not working. Additionally, depression can be a side effect
from certain antiretroviral medications. So how important is it to address anxiety and depression
in those who are HIV positive? It's vital to treat the mental health components, as well as the HIV itself. Again, we want to treat the whole human.
One major thing to consider is how anxiety and depression relate to medication adherence. For example, in studies of depressed HIV-positive
patients, patients who are given a treatment for depression are more likely to adhere to and see positive results from their HIV treatment.
