HIV/AIDS, STDs & STIs

Biography

Biography: Sahreen Malik Bhanji

Abstract

The advancement in treatment regimens, in the form of various anti-retroviral treatments (ART) for treating HIV/ AIDS, has helped its victims to achieve a longer life expectancy (Biswas, 2007). However, the challenge now for them is to live a better quality and mentally healthy life. Asante (2012) states that once a person is diagnosed with HIV, he is likely to suffer from low self- esteem, social isolation, and poor psychological well-being, eventually leading to inability to cope with the entire situation. The prevalence of depression in HIV/AIDS patients has been reported in different studies to be ranging from 22%–45%, compared to 5% and 15% prevalence in the general population (Biswas, 2007; Buckingham, Schrage, &Cournos, 2013; Kilmarx, 2009; Mello, Segurado, &Malbergier, 2010). This suggests that depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric diagnoses observed among HIV-positive individuals with greater reported prevalence than the general population. Depression related to certain outcomes and risk behaviors, like poor adherence to medication regimen, feelings of self-neglect, apathy, forgetfulness, and decreased immune function (Asante, 2012). Some evidences suggest that it may also be associated with increased mortality in HIV-infected individuals (Overman& Anderson, 2001). While these studies in the existing literature suggest a high rate of depressive illness and symptoms among people living with HIV, they have not been able to focus on the definite causes of depression among this group.