Giving "Sadness" a Name: The Need for Integrating Depression Treatment into HIV Care in Uganda.
Depression is common among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and can have significant consequences for HIV disease progression, treatment response and prevention. Yet mental health services are limited in most HIV care programs in this region, in part due to severe shortages of mental health professionals. To address the need for establishing an effective, sustainable model for integrating depression treatment into HIV care in SSA, we have embarked upon a 3-year research project, INDEPTH Uganda (INtegrating DEPression Treatment and in HIV care in Uganda), to evaluate a task-sharing, protocolized approach to providing antidepressant care in ten HIV clinics in Uganda. In this paper we share our experiences with two treated cases identified during the initial days of implementation, which we believe highlight the potential value and policy implications for task shifting depression care models in under-resourced settings.
Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University, College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Raymond
R
Odokonyero
RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA gwagner@rand.org.
Glenn
G
Wagner
RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
Victoria
V
Ngo
Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University, College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Noeline
N
Nakasujja
Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University, College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Seggane
S
Musisi
Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University, College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda.
Dickens
D
Akena
D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014454:Uganda; D055815:Young Adult
D000928:Antidepressive Agents
Uganda; antidepressants