Mental Health Needs to Be Prioritized Among People With HIV/AIDS, Study Says

People with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are 100 times more likely to die by suicide compared with the global general population, according to study findings published online in General Psychiatry. 

“There is an urgent need to prioritize mental health screening and care into all HIV testing and treatment settings,” said Paddy Ssentongo, MD, PhD, researcher and epidemiology doctoral student at Penn State College of Medicine. “Suicide risk should be assessed in all HIV patients, especially in those who are newly diagnosed and those with advanced disease.” 

Dr Ssentongo and colleagues came to the finding by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis, which included 40 studies spanning 185,199 people with HIV/AIDS from around the world. 

They found that 1 out of every 2 people with HIV/AIDS who have suicidal thoughts will attempt suicide, and 1 out of 13 of those suicide attempts will end in death. For comparison, 1 out of 3 people in the general population who have suicidal thoughts will attempt suicide, and 1 out of 286 of those suicide attempts will result in death. 

The study also found that people with HIV/AIDS in North America are 50 times more likely to commit suicide than people with HIV/AIDS in Europe. The highest rates of suicide attempts among people with HIV/AIDS are in North America, South America, and Australia.

“This risk is directly associated with HIV progression; however, antiretroviral treatment and higher CD4 counts seem to be protective against suicide attempts,” researchers wrote. 

“We suggest that suicide risk assessment be provided to people living with HIV/AIDS in conjunction with antiviral treatment,” they added, “to improve clinical outcomes, patient longevity, and quality of life.” 

References: 

Pelton M, Ciarletta M, Wisnousky H, et al. Rates and risk factors for suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and suicide deaths in persons with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Gen Psychiatr. 2021;34(2):e100247. Published 2021 Apr 9. doi:10.1136/gpsych-2020-100247

Penn State College of Medicine. People living with HIV/AIDS have a significantly higher risk of suicide [news release]. https://news.psu.edu/story/661753/2021/06/28/research/people-living-hivaids-have-significantly-higher-risk-suicide. Published online June 28, 2021.