Abstract
Persons with HIV can live longer healthier lives if they are engaged in HIV care and adherent to antiretroviral medication. With adherence, persons with HIV/AIDS may have the same longevity as the general population. However, psychiatric disorders may interfere with both care engagement and medication adherence. This chapter presents the most prevalent psychiatric disorders that may disrupt the clinician-patient relationship, prevent adequate care engagement, increase HIV transmission, and decrease adherence to antiretroviral medication. With the goal of HIV/AIDS treatment being viral suppression, consistent engagement of persons with HIV/AIDS in their medical management is essential. Missed appointments, nonadherence to ART, biopsychosocial factors, and comorbid mental illness all can prevent patient involvement in treatment, leading to a lack of viral suppression. Nonadherence to medical care complicates the course of illness, intensifies patient suffering, strains relationships, and increases morbidity and mortality. Missed appointments are associated with all-cause mortality in persons with HIV. In this chapter, we present the basic assessment needed to evaluate persons with HIV for comorbid psychiatric disorders to decrease HIV transmission and increase adherence to HIV care.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | HIV Psychiatry |
| Subtitle of host publication | A Practical Guide for Clinicians |
| Publisher | Springer International Publishing |
| Pages | 67-91 |
| Number of pages | 25 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9783030806651 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9783030806644 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2021 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Adherence
- Assessment
- Care engagement
- Consultation
- HIV prevention
- HIV transmission
- Missed appointments
- Nonadherence
- Psychiatric disorders
- Viral suppression