YOU ARE HERE:
Mental health is an issue for people with HIV
Good mental health is important to everybody.
If you have a serious and potentially fatal physical illness such as HIV, issues such as emotional distress, anxiety and depression may seem to be a secondary health concern.
In fact good mental health is an integral part of good overall health for people with HIV. For example, it is worth noting that HIV-positive people with mental health problems seem to have lower levels of adherence to their anti-HIV medication.
Thanks to the success of anti-HIV drugs, many people with HIV are living longer lives. That doesn't mean that mental health is no longer important for people with HIV. Far from it. If you are living with a long-term illness then issues such as uncertainty about the future, treatment side-effects, pain, fear of future disease progression and even everyday life events can still cause emotional strain and have mental health implications.
It therefore makes good sense for people with HIV to have information about the ways in which HIV can affect their mental health and about common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and emotional distress.
An explanation of some job titles
Everybody will have personal strategies for dealing with their mental health needs. But just as people develop physical illness and need to see a health professional, many people experience emotional issues or problems with their mental health for which they need professional help.
This can be a frightening or confusing experience.
It may help to understand some of the commonly used job titles and types of treatment commonly used in mental health.
- Psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has specialised in the diagnosis and drug treatment of mental health issues. As well as being able to prescribe you medicines (for example antidepressants), a psychiatrist will also be skilled in a range of psychotherapies.
- Clinical psychologist A clinical psychologist provides psychological therapies for the treatment of mental health problems. They will have extensive academic training, usually having an advanced postgraduate degree and work in a hospital or other medical setting. Psychological therapies are based on talking and working with people to understand the causes and triggers of mental health problems and on developing practical strategies to deal with them. One example is cognitive behavioural therapy (often abbreviated as CBT).
- Mental health nurses Nurses who have undertaken specialist training in the provision of services, support and care to people with mental health issues. Many are very skilled in the diagnosis and treatment of problems, and some are also able to prescribe medicines.
- Psychotherapist A person who provides treatment for emotional or mental health problems through talking. This person will be highly qualified and may or may not be a doctor. There is some overlap in the roles of a psychologist and a psychotherapist.
- Counsellor A counsellor can provide short-term support and an opportunity to talk through emotional issues, for example after receiving an HIV diagnosis. Counselling is fairly unregulated in the UK, so it makes good sense to check for qualifications.