Psychiatric morbidity in patients with HIV infection

A psychiatric examination was conducted on 144 patients at various stages of HIV infection and on 29 controls found to be seronegative. One-half of the control group had at least one DSM-III-R Axis I diagnosis, most commonly cannabis abuse, alcohol abuse, or adjustment disorder. Compared to this baseline, HIV-infected subjects had higher rates of adjustment disorder. AIDS patients were also more likely to suffer from organic mental disorder. The rate of unemployment increased as the disease progressed. Major depression was seen in only ten patients, and there were no differences between controls and HIV-infected subjects. Formal assessment of mood state and feelings of pessimism also showed no differences among the groups. The importance of helping improve the patient's lifestyle through the control of alcohol and drug abuse is underscored.