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Review
. 2021 Aug;18(4):377-390.
doi: 10.1007/s11904-021-00559-w. Epub 2021 May 20.

Interventions Addressing Depression and HIV-Related Outcomes in People with HIV

Noelle A Mendez  1 , Daniel Mayo  1 , Steven A Safren  2
Affiliations
Review

Interventions Addressing Depression and HIV-Related Outcomes in People with HIV

Noelle A Mendez et al. Curr HIV/AIDS Rep. 2021 Aug.

Erratum in

Abstract

Purpose of review: People with HIV (PWH) are more likely to experience depression than those without HIV. Depression is not only distressing and interfering in and of itself, but it is also consistently associated with non-adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART). Accordingly, research and clinical priorities require updated knowledge about interventions that address depression in PWH.

Recent findings: Twenty efficacy trials and nine pilot studies since a 2009 review emerged in the literature review search. Of these, 11 and 6 respectively had a depression-related inclusion criterion. The intervention strategies included individual psychotherapy (n=6), group therapy (n=6), telehealth (n=3), and antidepressant medication (n=5). Generally, these interventions demonstrated acute efficacy for improving depression symptoms in PWH, with some also addressing ART non-adherence. However, not all studies collected follow-up data. Furthermore, trials that addressed depression but did not specifically address non-adherence did not also show adherence improvements. Existing interventions for depression have demonstrated efficacy in PWH, and these may have both positive mental and physical health outcomes. Future trials should measure and boost longer-term effects. It would be useful to incorporate adherence interventions into depression treatment to improve self-care behaviors and health outcomes.

Keywords: ART adherence; Depression; HIV; Intervention.

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Conflict of interest statement

Noelle Mendez, Daniel Mayo, and Steven Safren report getting paid through grants from NIH that went to their institution (Safren PI), during the conduct of the study. Dr. Safren also receives royalties from Oxford University Press, Guilford Publications, and Springer/Humana Press for books related to cognitive behavioral therapy.

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