Academy Exchange

Hello!

I have a question about the mental health status of patients who are infected with HIV and have AIDS (whether they are getting treatment or are recovering). Do they have depression? Or anger, anxiety, or is their mental health based on a specific condition such as autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease etc.? I'm just curious because I have been reading a lot of papers in psychiatry journals and there is no correlation between the conditions and HIV/AIDS mentioned. Do the medicines make them feel better emotionally? I hope they do. Based on your experience of meeting and interacting with patients who need HIV testing, have been tested positive for HIV, and have developed AIDS, what is their behaviour and mental health status like? I'm asking for my own curiosity because some of the patients that I have met seem to have a lot of anger and wanted to know if anyone else had the same experience.

Sincerely,

Hi Phani,

An FYI: I work in retail community pharmacy.  Sometimes, I see patients who have HIV and are angry.  Their doctors prescribe them sertraline to help with their mental health. Now, I do not know exactly the mental issues for each patient.  However, the patients who are taking sertraline still seems to have anger issues.  I hope this helps. 

Hello!

I have a question about the mental health status of patients who are infected with HIV and have AIDS (whether they are getting treatment or are recovering). Do they have depression? Or anger, anxiety, or is their mental health based on a specific condition such as autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease etc.? I'm just curious because I have been reading a lot of papers in psychiatry journals and there is no correlation between the conditions and HIV/AIDS mentioned. Do the medicines make them feel better emotionally? I hope they do. Based on your experience of meeting and interacting with patients who need HIV testing, have been tested positive for HIV, and have developed AIDS, what is their behaviour and mental health status like? I'm asking for my own curiosity because some of the patients that I have met seem to have a lot of anger and wanted to know if anyone else had the same experience.

Sincerely,

Hello Henry Bryant,

Thank you for your reply and informing me about sertraline. I will surely read about this medicine. I also read that topiramate is a medicine that may help anger and does not have to be specifically given to patients who have HIV. I read about topiramate in a paper by Varghese BS et al. Indian J Pharmacol, 2010. 

I really appreciate the help.

Sincerely,

Phani

Hi Phani,

An FYI: I work in retail community pharmacy.  Sometimes, I see patients who have HIV and are angry.  Their doctors prescribe them sertraline to help with their mental health. Now, I do not know exactly the mental issues for each patient.  However, the patients who are taking sertraline still seems to have anger issues.  I hope this helps. 

Hello!

I have a question about the mental health status of patients who are infected with HIV and have AIDS (whether they are getting treatment or are recovering). Do they have depression? Or anger, anxiety, or is their mental health based on a specific condition such as autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease etc.? I'm just curious because I have been reading a lot of papers in psychiatry journals and there is no correlation between the conditions and HIV/AIDS mentioned. Do the medicines make them feel better emotionally? I hope they do. Based on your experience of meeting and interacting with patients who need HIV testing, have been tested positive for HIV, and have developed AIDS, what is their behaviour and mental health status like? I'm asking for my own curiosity because some of the patients that I have met seem to have a lot of anger and wanted to know if anyone else had the same experience.

Sincerely,

Hi Phani,

You are welcome. Enjoy your day!

Hello Henry Bryant,

Thank you for your reply and informing me about sertraline. I will surely read about this medicine. I also read that topiramate is a medicine that may help anger and does not have to be specifically given to patients who have HIV. I read about topiramate in a paper by Varghese BS et al. Indian J Pharmacol, 2010. 

I really appreciate the help.

Sincerely,

Phani

Hi Phani,

An FYI: I work in retail community pharmacy.  Sometimes, I see patients who have HIV and are angry.  Their doctors prescribe them sertraline to help with their mental health. Now, I do not know exactly the mental issues for each patient.  However, the patients who are taking sertraline still seems to have anger issues.  I hope this helps. 

Hello!

I have a question about the mental health status of patients who are infected with HIV and have AIDS (whether they are getting treatment or are recovering). Do they have depression? Or anger, anxiety, or is their mental health based on a specific condition such as autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease etc.? I'm just curious because I have been reading a lot of papers in psychiatry journals and there is no correlation between the conditions and HIV/AIDS mentioned. Do the medicines make them feel better emotionally? I hope they do. Based on your experience of meeting and interacting with patients who need HIV testing, have been tested positive for HIV, and have developed AIDS, what is their behaviour and mental health status like? I'm asking for my own curiosity because some of the patients that I have met seem to have a lot of anger and wanted to know if anyone else had the same experience.

Sincerely,

The subject of mental health and HIV has been studied and written about extensively. In fact, there are entire books written on the subject. In the days before effective antiretroviral therapy, this was a bigger issue than it is today, though it's obviously still important. There were some conditions (mania in particular) that could be precipitated or exacerbated by advancing HIV infection. Depression was common, though it had to be distinguished from demoralization and dementia, which can sometimes mimic depression. It's also important to recognize that depression is a common condition in the general population, and depression sometimes led people to engage in behavior that increased the risk of HIV infection, so it wasn't always possible to known which condition came first. 

Treatment is essentially the same as it would be in anyone else, while also making sure that the HIV is under good control and that the appropriate counseling is taking place. A diagnosis of HIV infection is a common reason for demoralization, which can be lessened when people are educated about the effectiveness of treatment and the excellent prognosis. 

Regarding the comment about sertraline, antidepressants like sertraline are used to treat depression and anxiety, not anger.

Hi Phani,

You are welcome. Enjoy your day!

Hello Henry Bryant,

Thank you for your reply and informing me about sertraline. I will surely read about this medicine. I also read that topiramate is a medicine that may help anger and does not have to be specifically given to patients who have HIV. I read about topiramate in a paper by Varghese BS et al. Indian J Pharmacol, 2010. 

I really appreciate the help.

Sincerely,

Phani

Hi Phani,

An FYI: I work in retail community pharmacy.  Sometimes, I see patients who have HIV and are angry.  Their doctors prescribe them sertraline to help with their mental health. Now, I do not know exactly the mental issues for each patient.  However, the patients who are taking sertraline still seems to have anger issues.  I hope this helps. 

Hello!

I have a question about the mental health status of patients who are infected with HIV and have AIDS (whether they are getting treatment or are recovering). Do they have depression? Or anger, anxiety, or is their mental health based on a specific condition such as autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease etc.? I'm just curious because I have been reading a lot of papers in psychiatry journals and there is no correlation between the conditions and HIV/AIDS mentioned. Do the medicines make them feel better emotionally? I hope they do. Based on your experience of meeting and interacting with patients who need HIV testing, have been tested positive for HIV, and have developed AIDS, what is their behaviour and mental health status like? I'm asking for my own curiosity because some of the patients that I have met seem to have a lot of anger and wanted to know if anyone else had the same experience.

Sincerely,

The subject of mental health and HIV has been studied and written about extensively. In fact, there are entire books written on the subject. In the days before effective antiretroviral therapy, this was a bigger issue than it is today, though it's obviously still important. There were some conditions (mania in particular) that could be precipitated or exacerbated by advancing HIV infection. Depression was common, though it had to be distinguished from demoralization and dementia, which can sometimes mimic depression. It's also important to recognize that depression is a common condition in the general population, and depression sometimes led people to engage in behavior that increased the risk of HIV infection, so it wasn't always possible to known which condition came first. 

Treatment is essentially the same as it would be in anyone else, while also making sure that the HIV is under good control and that the appropriate counseling is taking place. A diagnosis of HIV infection is a common reason for demoralization, which can be lessened when people are educated about the effectiveness of treatment and the excellent prognosis. 

Regarding the comment about sertraline, antidepressants like sertraline are used to treat depression and anxiety, not anger.

Hi Phani,

You are welcome. Enjoy your day!

Hello Henry Bryant,

Thank you for your reply and informing me about sertraline. I will surely read about this medicine. I also read that topiramate is a medicine that may help anger and does not have to be specifically given to patients who have HIV. I read about topiramate in a paper by Varghese BS et al. Indian J Pharmacol, 2010. 

I really appreciate the help.

Sincerely,

Phani

Hi Phani,

An FYI: I work in retail community pharmacy.  Sometimes, I see patients who have HIV and are angry.  Their doctors prescribe them sertraline to help with their mental health. Now, I do not know exactly the mental issues for each patient.  However, the patients who are taking sertraline still seems to have anger issues.  I hope this helps. 

Hello!

I have a question about the mental health status of patients who are infected with HIV and have AIDS (whether they are getting treatment or are recovering). Do they have depression? Or anger, anxiety, or is their mental health based on a specific condition such as autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease etc.? I'm just curious because I have been reading a lot of papers in psychiatry journals and there is no correlation between the conditions and HIV/AIDS mentioned. Do the medicines make them feel better emotionally? I hope they do. Based on your experience of meeting and interacting with patients who need HIV testing, have been tested positive for HIV, and have developed AIDS, what is their behaviour and mental health status like? I'm asking for my own curiosity because some of the patients that I have met seem to have a lot of anger and wanted to know if anyone else had the same experience.

Sincerely,

Hi Dr. Gallant.  This is indeed very good information about Sertraline, treating depression and anxiety. I notice that the patients who are treated with Sertraline are still angry.  Can you please provide any information for the treatment of anger, using medication and/or behavioral therapy?  I would really appreciate it.  Thank you so very much.

The subject of mental health and HIV has been studied and written about extensively. In fact, there are entire books written on the subject. In the days before effective antiretroviral therapy, this was a bigger issue than it is today, though it's obviously still important. There were some conditions (mania in particular) that could be precipitated or exacerbated by advancing HIV infection. Depression was common, though it had to be distinguished from demoralization and dementia, which can sometimes mimic depression. It's also important to recognize that depression is a common condition in the general population, and depression sometimes led people to engage in behavior that increased the risk of HIV infection, so it wasn't always possible to known which condition came first. 

Treatment is essentially the same as it would be in anyone else, while also making sure that the HIV is under good control and that the appropriate counseling is taking place. A diagnosis of HIV infection is a common reason for demoralization, which can be lessened when people are educated about the effectiveness of treatment and the excellent prognosis. 

Regarding the comment about sertraline, antidepressants like sertraline are used to treat depression and anxiety, not anger.

Hi Phani,

You are welcome. Enjoy your day!

Hello Henry Bryant,

Thank you for your reply and informing me about sertraline. I will surely read about this medicine. I also read that topiramate is a medicine that may help anger and does not have to be specifically given to patients who have HIV. I read about topiramate in a paper by Varghese BS et al. Indian J Pharmacol, 2010. 

I really appreciate the help.

Sincerely,

Phani

Hi Phani,

An FYI: I work in retail community pharmacy.  Sometimes, I see patients who have HIV and are angry.  Their doctors prescribe them sertraline to help with their mental health. Now, I do not know exactly the mental issues for each patient.  However, the patients who are taking sertraline still seems to have anger issues.  I hope this helps. 

Hello!

I have a question about the mental health status of patients who are infected with HIV and have AIDS (whether they are getting treatment or are recovering). Do they have depression? Or anger, anxiety, or is their mental health based on a specific condition such as autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease etc.? I'm just curious because I have been reading a lot of papers in psychiatry journals and there is no correlation between the conditions and HIV/AIDS mentioned. Do the medicines make them feel better emotionally? I hope they do. Based on your experience of meeting and interacting with patients who need HIV testing, have been tested positive for HIV, and have developed AIDS, what is their behaviour and mental health status like? I'm asking for my own curiosity because some of the patients that I have met seem to have a lot of anger and wanted to know if anyone else had the same experience.

Sincerely,

We don't usually treat anger with medications, but counseling or psychotherapy can be helpful. In contrast, depression can often be treated effectively with antidepressants, and most HIV doctors are fairly comfortable starting these drugs in their patients with depression. More complex or refractory cases should be referred to psychiatry. I'm not aware of any evidence of benefit with B6, at least in patients with balanced diets where vitamin deficiencies are unlikely.

Hi Dr. Gallant.  This is indeed very good information about Sertraline, treating depression and anxiety. I notice that the patients who are treated with Sertraline are still angry.  Can you please provide any information for the treatment of anger, using medication and/or behavioral therapy?  I would really appreciate it.  Thank you so very much.

The subject of mental health and HIV has been studied and written about extensively. In fact, there are entire books written on the subject. In the days before effective antiretroviral therapy, this was a bigger issue than it is today, though it's obviously still important. There were some conditions (mania in particular) that could be precipitated or exacerbated by advancing HIV infection. Depression was common, though it had to be distinguished from demoralization and dementia, which can sometimes mimic depression. It's also important to recognize that depression is a common condition in the general population, and depression sometimes led people to engage in behavior that increased the risk of HIV infection, so it wasn't always possible to known which condition came first. 

Treatment is essentially the same as it would be in anyone else, while also making sure that the HIV is under good control and that the appropriate counseling is taking place. A diagnosis of HIV infection is a common reason for demoralization, which can be lessened when people are educated about the effectiveness of treatment and the excellent prognosis. 

Regarding the comment about sertraline, antidepressants like sertraline are used to treat depression and anxiety, not anger.

Hi Phani,

You are welcome. Enjoy your day!

Hello Henry Bryant,

Thank you for your reply and informing me about sertraline. I will surely read about this medicine. I also read that topiramate is a medicine that may help anger and does not have to be specifically given to patients who have HIV. I read about topiramate in a paper by Varghese BS et al. Indian J Pharmacol, 2010. 

I really appreciate the help.

Sincerely,

Phani

Hi Phani,

An FYI: I work in retail community pharmacy.  Sometimes, I see patients who have HIV and are angry.  Their doctors prescribe them sertraline to help with their mental health. Now, I do not know exactly the mental issues for each patient.  However, the patients who are taking sertraline still seems to have anger issues.  I hope this helps. 

Hello!

I have a question about the mental health status of patients who are infected with HIV and have AIDS (whether they are getting treatment or are recovering). Do they have depression? Or anger, anxiety, or is their mental health based on a specific condition such as autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease etc.? I'm just curious because I have been reading a lot of papers in psychiatry journals and there is no correlation between the conditions and HIV/AIDS mentioned. Do the medicines make them feel better emotionally? I hope they do. Based on your experience of meeting and interacting with patients who need HIV testing, have been tested positive for HIV, and have developed AIDS, what is their behaviour and mental health status like? I'm asking for my own curiosity because some of the patients that I have met seem to have a lot of anger and wanted to know if anyone else had the same experience.

Sincerely,

Dear Dr Gallant

Thank you so much for this contributions. In Africa where I have practiced for years, Mental health of HIV patients is  largely underserved . I have advocated for the use of standardized depression screening tools but again, the paucity of healthcare staff and training makes the use of these tools irrelevant. I make bold to say that almost every patient with a diagnosis of HIV has one form of mental heath disorder and majority of these goes undiagnosed . This is a time bomb tickling. The religious institutions especially in Africa have exploited these gaps in the healthcare of patients by providing 'pseudo miracles' 

I think investments in terms of trainings of healthcare staff and ensuring more Psychologist/psychiatrist take clinical rotations  in HIV clinics might help

We don't usually treat anger with medications, but counseling or psychotherapy can be helpful. In contrast, depression can often be treated effectively with antidepressants, and most HIV doctors are fairly comfortable starting these drugs in their patients with depression. More complex or refractory cases should be referred to psychiatry. I'm not aware of any evidence of benefit with B6, at least in patients with balanced diets where vitamin deficiencies are unlikely.

Hi Dr. Gallant.  This is indeed very good information about Sertraline, treating depression and anxiety. I notice that the patients who are treated with Sertraline are still angry.  Can you please provide any information for the treatment of anger, using medication and/or behavioral therapy?  I would really appreciate it.  Thank you so very much.

The subject of mental health and HIV has been studied and written about extensively. In fact, there are entire books written on the subject. In the days before effective antiretroviral therapy, this was a bigger issue than it is today, though it's obviously still important. There were some conditions (mania in particular) that could be precipitated or exacerbated by advancing HIV infection. Depression was common, though it had to be distinguished from demoralization and dementia, which can sometimes mimic depression. It's also important to recognize that depression is a common condition in the general population, and depression sometimes led people to engage in behavior that increased the risk of HIV infection, so it wasn't always possible to known which condition came first. 

Treatment is essentially the same as it would be in anyone else, while also making sure that the HIV is under good control and that the appropriate counseling is taking place. A diagnosis of HIV infection is a common reason for demoralization, which can be lessened when people are educated about the effectiveness of treatment and the excellent prognosis. 

Regarding the comment about sertraline, antidepressants like sertraline are used to treat depression and anxiety, not anger.

Hi Phani,

You are welcome. Enjoy your day!

Hello Henry Bryant,

Thank you for your reply and informing me about sertraline. I will surely read about this medicine. I also read that topiramate is a medicine that may help anger and does not have to be specifically given to patients who have HIV. I read about topiramate in a paper by Varghese BS et al. Indian J Pharmacol, 2010. 

I really appreciate the help.

Sincerely,

Phani

Hi Phani,

An FYI: I work in retail community pharmacy.  Sometimes, I see patients who have HIV and are angry.  Their doctors prescribe them sertraline to help with their mental health. Now, I do not know exactly the mental issues for each patient.  However, the patients who are taking sertraline still seems to have anger issues.  I hope this helps. 

Hello!

I have a question about the mental health status of patients who are infected with HIV and have AIDS (whether they are getting treatment or are recovering). Do they have depression? Or anger, anxiety, or is their mental health based on a specific condition such as autism, ADHD, or Alzheimer's disease etc.? I'm just curious because I have been reading a lot of papers in psychiatry journals and there is no correlation between the conditions and HIV/AIDS mentioned. Do the medicines make them feel better emotionally? I hope they do. Based on your experience of meeting and interacting with patients who need HIV testing, have been tested positive for HIV, and have developed AIDS, what is their behaviour and mental health status like? I'm asking for my own curiosity because some of the patients that I have met seem to have a lot of anger and wanted to know if anyone else had the same experience.

Sincerely,