title: Patterns of depressive symptoms among patients with HIV infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the level of depressive symptoms among patients with HIV infection and to examine the reported patterns of depressive symptoms not confounded by the physical manifestations of HIV-infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 191 patients with HIV infection (75 males (39%) and 116 females (61%), mean age 40.48 +/- 10 years), from three HIV clinics were administered the Beck Depression Inventory-II as well as a demographic questionnaire as part of a larger study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Moderate to severe depressive symptoms were reported by 17.3% of the HIV-infected patients with females reporting significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms than males. A principal components analysis identified three clusters of depressive symptoms: cognitive-affective, negative cognitions and somatic symptoms. The HIV-infected patients were found to display mainly cognitive-affective symptoms of depression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HIV-infected patients, especially female patients, may be at an increased risk of experiencing high levels of depressive symptoms. It is recommended that HIV-infected patients be routinely screened for depression, particularly cognitive-affective symptoms of depression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies. wdela@yahoo.com
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: De La Haye
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lipps
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Longman-Mills
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bains
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007563:Jamaica / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors