Psychiatric considerations in children and adolescents with HIV/AIDS

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2010 Apr;19(2):387-400, x. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2010.02.004.

Abstract

The psychosocial impact of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease has been recognized since the beginning of the epidemic for affected adults, but there has been less focus on the impact of HIV on young people. Among HIV-positive (HIV+) adults, high levels of distress, psychiatric symptoms, and their associations with worse health outcomes were recognized early in the epidemic. Subsequently, many studies have focused on understanding the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms among HIV+ adults and on identifying effective treatments for these symptoms. Fewer studies have examined these symptoms and their treatments among HIV+ children and adolescents. This article reviews what is known about psychiatric syndromes among HIV+ youths, their treatments, and other psychosocial factors of concern to the psychiatrist when treating children and adolescents with HIV disease.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • AIDS Dementia Complex / epidemiology
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / drug therapy
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / epidemiology*
  • Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / psychology*
  • Adolescent
  • Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / methods
  • Child
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders / epidemiology
  • HIV Infections / drug therapy
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • HIV Infections / psychology*
  • Homosexuality, Male / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Disorders / diagnosis
  • Mental Disorders / epidemiology*
  • Mental Disorders / psychology*
  • Microglia / virology
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Prevalence
  • Pyramidal Tracts / virology
  • Severity of Illness Index