HIV seroprevalence and risk behaviors in psychiatric inpatients

The seroprevalence of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 515 patients consecutively admitted to a state psychiatric hospital in New York City was 8.9%. There were 365 patients whose results were individually traceable; the remaining 150 patients were tested anonymously. Risk factors including parenteral drug abuse, male homosexual behaviors, and other sexual behaviors were studied in the traceable patients. Logistic regressions indicated that parenteral drug abuse was the main risk factor in both males and females. In females, two additional factors were significant: sex with parenteral drug users or with partners who have the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), and sex with bisexual men. Females with bipolar disorders were particularly likely to report sex with parenteral drug users or with partners who have AIDS.