Depression rates in people living with HIV high
Mental disorders are a leading cause of global disability, driven largely by depression and anxiety.
What you need to know:
- The Kemri study conducted between 2021 September to 2022 October also shows that 52 per cent of the respondents had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with the most common co-morbidity among the participants being HIV (39·4 per cent).
- This means that depression and PTSD affected those living with HIV/Aids the most.
Nine in 10 people living in low-resource settings in Kisumu County are battling depression, according to a recent study.
The one-year randomised study by the Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) involving 2,162 participants found that 90 per cent of residents in low-resource settings had a diagnosis of major depression.
The study conducted between 2021 September to 2022 October also shows that 52 per cent of the respondents had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with the most common co-morbidity among the participants being HIV (39·4 per cent).
This means that depression and PTSD affected those living with HIV/Aids the most.
The researchers add that though they conducted the study on Kenyans with an average age of 36 years, the majority were married women with some primary or secondary education.
“Mental disorders are a leading cause of global disability, driven largely by depression and anxiety. This study tests strategies to integrate evidence-based psychotherapy and modern psychopharmacological treatments for major depression and PTSD within public-sector outpatient settings in Kisumu, Kenya,” the Kemri researchers said.
The World Health Organization explains that depressive disorder (also known as depression) is a common mental disorder.
“It involves a depressed mood or loss of pleasure or interest in activities for long periods.
“Depression is different from regular mood changes and feelings about everyday life. It can affect all aspects of life, including relationships with family, friends and community. It can result from or lead to problems at school and work,” the WHO states, noting that it can happen to anyone.
People who have lived through abuse, severe losses or other stressful events are more likely to develop depression.
Kemri researchers administered 12-weekly Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) sessions and six months of fluoxetine (an antidepressant) for treatment of major depression and PTSD.
“Fluoxetine was more effective than IPT for reducing PTSD,” say the researchers.
Among those who remitted (1,532), 91 per cent of IPT and 96 per cent of fluoxetine participants were in remission for both disorders six months after treatment ended.
Kemri says their findings show that modern mental health treatment options can be integrated at scale within public-sector facilities to improve mental health in low-resource settings throughout the country.
According to WHO experts, 3.8 per cent of a given population experience depression.
The experts add that approximately 280 million people in the world have depression. “Depression is about 50 per cent more common among women than among men. Worldwide, more than 10 per cent of pregnant women and women who have just given birth experience depression.”
