Prevalence of psychiatric disorders in HIV patients in the Central Region of Ghana

Abstract

Background: Literature reveals that there is an association between HIV infection and mental disorders.

Objective: The study aimed at examining the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in HIV infected individuals cared for at the Central Regional Hospital, a referral hospital in Cape Coast, Ghana.

Method: This was a cross-sectional study. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect epidemiological and clinical data. Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used to evaluate psychiatric disturbances. Two hundred and six HIV patients (females, 120 and males, 86) were assessed using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for mental disorders. Socio demographic and clinical information were collected from patient's records with permission from the hospital authority. The statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) was used for the analysis.

Results: The prevalence of psychiatric disorder was 146 (70.9%). The psychiatric conditions identied were mood disorders (depression and mania) and anxiety disorders (General anxiety, agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and post traumatic stress disorder).

Conclusion: Findings suggest that there is need to consider mental and psychological care of clients with HIV/AIDS to minimise the prevalence of psychiatric disorder among HIV clients.

Keywords: Prevalence, Psychiatric disorder, HIV infection, Mental challenges