Psychopharmacology in HIV spectrum disorders

The psychiatric complications of HIV spectrum disorders are common and diverse in nature. HIV itself undermines the individual's psychological functioning by attacking the CNS and further compromises the patient's psychosocial and coping capacity. Psychopharmacologic strategies are vastly underutilized in the management of these psychiatric complications but often must be innovative, given the complexities of medical management in most of these cases. Conventional and innovative psychopharmacologic interventions when used as part of an integrated comprehensive biopsychosocial approach are effective adjuvants that help patients achieve the greatest functional adaptation possible.