British Columbia study underscores need for mental health services for HIV-positive people

published on October 9, 2018 in CATIE

B.C. researchers compared health records of HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients.
HIV-positive patients were twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mood disorder.
Age, sexuality and injection drug use were associated with mental health diagnoses.

At least several studies have found that mental health conditions are more common among HIV-positive people than HIV-negative people. Some of these conditions include the following:

anxiety
depression
bipolar depression
schizoaffective disorders
post-traumatic stress disorders

It is possible that biological, psychological and/or socio-economic factors play a role in the heightened risk for at least some of these mental health conditions. If mental health conditions are left undiagnosed, untreated or poorly managed, they can degrade overall health, quality of life and, in some cases, the ability to take HIV treatment (ART) exactly as directed.

Researchers at the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS and at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University collaborated in a study to compare rates of mental health conditions (also called major mood disorders) between HIV-positive and HIV-negative people. They found that, overall, rates of diagnosed mental health conditions were twice as high among HIV-positive people. The researchers found that HIV-positive people who had milder forms of mental health conditions and/or substance use were likely to subsequently develop more serious mental health problems. The researchers stated that these and other findings from their study “highlight the need for comprehensive and holistic HIV and mental health care.”

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Epidemiology and Population Health

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BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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British Columbia study underscores need for mental health services for HIV-positive people

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