Psychiatric Problems Amongst Adolescents Living With HIV at a Tertiary Care Centre in India.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of psychiatric problems among adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV).

Methods: Questionnaire-based cross-sectional study conducted at pediatric HIV clinic of a tertiary care hospital. Participants: 101 ALHIV between 10-18 years of age.

Results: Of the 101 ALHIV, 12 (11.88%) met criteria for psychiatric disorders, of which dysthymi (5,41.6%) and oppositional defiant disorder (6,50%) were the commonest. Father of 7 (58.34%) and mother of 8 (66.6%) screen positive patients were dead as compared to 22 (24.7%) and 13 (14.6%) of screen negative patients (P=0.016 and P=0.0003, respectively).

Conclusion: Psychiatric problems are common in ALHIV in the age group more than 15 years.