Prevalence of Depression in People Living with HIV/AIDS Undergoing ART and Factors Associated with it.

Background: HIV/AIDS is one of the most devastating illnesses that humans have ever faced. Depression in HIV/AIDS patients is very common but the factors affecting it are not well studied.

Aims And Objectives: HIV/AIDS though such a big public health problem worldwide, not enough data is available regarding association of HIV and Depression. Therefore this study was undertaken to evaluate the association between HIV/AIDS and depression in an Indian setting.

Material And Methods: The study was conducted in Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital and University College of Medical Sciences, Delhi. One hundred sixty patients were interviewed using a questionnaire containing factors that affect depression. CES-D (Center for Epidemiologic Studies - Depression) scale was used to measure depression. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS software.

Results: The prevalence of depression in patients with HIV under ART was 58.75%. The prevalence of depression increased with the severity of symptoms. The unemployed, uneducated, unmarried, belonging to joint families, having no or low family income, migrants, having indifferent or poor relationship with spouse, poor social support and had visited commercial sex workers had a greater prevalence of depression.

Conclusion: The rate of depression in patients with HIV/AIDS is very high. Detecting depression early and treating it goes a long way in improving the compliance to treatment as well as quality of life.