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Himelhoch, Moore, Treisman, and Gebo (2004) looked at 549 people with AIDS who had never received HAART before entering medical care in an attempt to answer the following question: "Does the presence of a current psychiatric disorder in AIDS patients affect the initiation of antiretroviral treatment and duration of therapy ?" Within this cohort, 18% were characterized as having a current psychiatric disorder, 39% were characterized as not having a current psychiatric disorder, and 43% could not be characterized psychiatrically. Himelhoch and colleagues report the following:
First, in a clinic offering on-site psychiatric services, among a cohort of patients with AIDS, those receiving treatment of their psychiatric disorder were 37% more likely to receive HAART and had 2.5 times the odds of being prescribed HAART for at least 6 months compared with those without a psychiatric disorder. In addition, we found that patients with AIDS who were receiving treatment of their psychiatric disorder had nearly a 40% reduction in mortality compared with those without a psychiatric disorder. These striking findings suggest that in a clinic offering on-site psychiatric services, patients with AIDS receiving treatment of their psychiatric disorders may not only be more likely to be prescribed HAART but may be more likely to reap the survival benefit by remaining on it. (p. 1460)
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Spring 2005 Newsletter
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