TY - JOUR
T1 - Utilization of psychiatric services among low-income HIV-infected patients with psychiatric comorbidity
AU - Soller, Marie
AU - Kharrazi, Neda
AU - Prentiss, Diane
AU - Cummings, Stephen
AU - Balmas, Gladys
AU - Koopman, Cheryl
AU - Israelski, Dennis
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by funds from the University-wide AIDS Research Program of the University of California, Grant Number CR01-ST-090; Co-Principal Investigators: Dennis M. Israelski, MD, and Cheryl Koop-man, PhD. We also wish to express our appreciation for the contributions of Malik Muhammed and Patricia Garcia to this research.
PY - 2011/11
Y1 - 2011/11
N2 - HIV-infected individuals face a tremendous burden of psychiatric comorbidity. This study evaluates a community health care system's effort to screen for psychiatric disorders among patients at an HIV clinic and evaluate adherence to psychiatric service utilization. Methods: Standardized screening measures were used to identify participants who met diagnostic symptom criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder (ASD) and depression. All participants who screened positive were referred for psychiatric follow-up. Rates of utilization were measured and barriers to adherence were investigated. Results: Of the 210 participants, 118 patients met screening criteria for PTSD, ASD, and/or depression, and 116 of these had medical records available for review. Of the 116 patients with psychiatric comorbidity, 46.6% saw a psychiatrist and/or were prescribed a psychiatric medication. Thirty-two percent of Latinos, 40.5% of African Americans, and 38.5% of heterosexuals utilized referred psychiatric services, and these rates were significantly less than their counterparts. One hundred patients were seen by a social worker. Discussion: While a large burden of psychiatric comorbidity exists among this population of HIV-positive patients, only half adhered to recommended psychiatric services referrals. Further research is warranted to examine cost-effective interventions to maximize psychiatric screening, referral, and follow-up with mental health services in this vulnerable population.
AB - HIV-infected individuals face a tremendous burden of psychiatric comorbidity. This study evaluates a community health care system's effort to screen for psychiatric disorders among patients at an HIV clinic and evaluate adherence to psychiatric service utilization. Methods: Standardized screening measures were used to identify participants who met diagnostic symptom criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder (ASD) and depression. All participants who screened positive were referred for psychiatric follow-up. Rates of utilization were measured and barriers to adherence were investigated. Results: Of the 210 participants, 118 patients met screening criteria for PTSD, ASD, and/or depression, and 116 of these had medical records available for review. Of the 116 patients with psychiatric comorbidity, 46.6% saw a psychiatrist and/or were prescribed a psychiatric medication. Thirty-two percent of Latinos, 40.5% of African Americans, and 38.5% of heterosexuals utilized referred psychiatric services, and these rates were significantly less than their counterparts. One hundred patients were seen by a social worker. Discussion: While a large burden of psychiatric comorbidity exists among this population of HIV-positive patients, only half adhered to recommended psychiatric services referrals. Further research is warranted to examine cost-effective interventions to maximize psychiatric screening, referral, and follow-up with mental health services in this vulnerable population.
KW - Acute stress disorder
KW - HIV and psychiatric comorbidity
KW - Major depressive disorder
KW - Post-traumatic stress disorder
KW - Psychiatric services utilization
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U2 - 10.1080/09540121.2011.565024
DO - 10.1080/09540121.2011.565024
M3 - Article
C2 - 21767117
AN - SCOPUS:84855648587
SN - 0954-0121
VL - 23
SP - 1351
EP - 1359
JO - AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
JF - AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV
IS - 11
ER -