A review of the literature on HIV infection and schizophrenia: implications for research, policy and clinical practice

Abstract

AIDS represents one of the major public health problems of the 21st century. Men having sex with men, injecting drug use and having multiple sexual partners are well-established risk behaviours for transmitting the HIV virus. People with schizophrenia are more likely to engage in these behaviours than the general population and as a result there is an increased prevalence of HIV infection in this group. However, many contemporary mental health policy reports fail to discuss the risk of HIV/AIDS in people with schizophrenia, and there are few specific references to sexual health promotion in these documents. People with schizophrenia should be considered an at-risk population for HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. Psychiatric research, policy and clinical practice need to develop rapidly to address this important aspect of a major public health problem.