title: Psychiatric morbidity in HIV-positive subjects: a study from India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the psychiatric morbidity in HIV-positive subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  The purposive sample included HIV-positive subjects not receiving antiretroviral therapy (HIV) (n=100). Rheumatoid arthritis (severe) subjects not receiving steroids or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (RA) (n=40) were included as a comparison group. The 12-item General Health Questionnaire in Hindi (GHQ) was used to screen the psychiatric morbidity in both groups. In GHQ-positive cases, psychiatric diagnoses were made using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HIV group reported sexual contact as the commonest source of infection (58%) and had a lower age at onset (32.53 vs. 36.60 years, P=.011), shorter duration of illness (12.95 vs. 83.37 months, P<.001), lower GHQ score (28.3 vs. 30.15, P=.043), similar Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) score (28.01 vs. 27.37, P=.093) and lower psychiatric morbidity by both GHQ (score >2) (52% vs. 85%) and current SCID diagnoses (45% vs. 60%, P=.021), as compared to the RA group. The HIV group also had a lower prevalence of psychiatric disorders (45% vs. 60%), mood disorders [24% vs. 52% including major depressive disorder (19% vs. 45%)] and anxiety disorders (1% vs. 2.5%), but a higher prevalence of substance use disorders (17% vs. 2.5%), adjustment disorders (7% vs. 5%) and psychotic disorders (1% vs. 0), as compared to the RA group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high prevalence of psychiatric disorders, especially the mood disorders, in our HIV-positive subjects was generally similar to that reported from the rest of the world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India. drnaresh_pgi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Naresh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nebhinani
authors.forename: Surendra K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Mattoo
authors.forename: Ajay
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wanchu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires