RESUMO
While life expectancy of people living with HIV is increasing, their burden of non-communicable diseases, including mental health disorders, is growing as well. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and identify the risk factors associated with mental health disorders among this population in Rwanda. This cross-sectional study enrolled people living with HIV from 12 HIV clinics across Rwanda using random sampling. Trained HIV nurses conducted the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview to estimate the prevalence of major depressive episode, post-traumatic stress disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder. Sociodemographic, psychosocial, and HIV-related data were also collected. Associated risk factors for being diagnosed with one of the mental health disorders were assessed using modified Poisson regression with robust error variance. Of 428 participants, 70 (16.4%) had at least one mental health disorder with major depressive episode being most prevalent (n = 60, 14.0%). Almost all participants were adherent to antiretroviral therapy (n = 424, 99.1%) and virally suppressed (n = 412, 96.9%). Of those diagnosed with a mental health disorder, only few were aware of (n = 4, 5.7%) or under treatment for this mental health disorder (n = 5, 7.2%). Mental health disorders were associated with experiences of HIV-related stigma and discrimination (aRR = 2.14, 95%CI 1.30-3.53, p = 0.003). The results demonstrate underdiagnosis and undertreatment of mental health disorders among Rwandan People Living with HIV. Using HIV nurses to diagnose mental health disorders could serve as a low-cost strategy for integrating mental health care with existing HIV services and could inspire the implementation in other low-resource settings.
RESUMO
Most descriptive data on individuals with bipolar disorder originate from high-resource settings. Very little is known about the accessibility and service provision of intensive mental health care to persons living with bipolar disorder in low-resource settings. This information is needed to inform health systems and guide practitioners to improve standard treatment options and access to treatment. This cross-sectional study explored the level of care for outpatients with bipolar disorder and their help-seeking patterns at the two national referral hospitals in Rwanda. The study found that the majority, 93%, of outpatients with bipolar disorder in Rwanda were on prophylactic psychopharmacological treatment, but mainly first-generation antipsychotics and just 3% received lithium treatment. Furthermore, there was a lack of psychosocial intervention; consequently, 44% were not aware that they had bipolar disorder. Moreover, 1 in 5 participants utilized or had previously used traditional medicine. Awareness of own diagnostic status was not associated with educational level or use of traditional medicine. The study's sample size of 154 patients is relatively small, and the cross-sectional design does not provide causal inferences. The results demonstrate a considerable unmet need for improved mental health care services for individuals with bipolar disorder in Rwanda, including access to optimal medication and psychosocial interventions. Psychoeducation could be a possible starting point for improving the standard of care, informing the individual on their diagnosis and medication while empowering them to engage in their treatment plan. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04671225. Registered on November 2020.
RESUMO
Introduction: The objective of this systematic review was to investigate whether electroencephalographic parameters can serve as a tool to distinguish between melancholic depression, non-melancholic depression, and healthy controls in adults. Methods: A systematic review comprising an extensive literature search conducted in PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO in August 2020 with monthly updates until November 1st, 2020. In addition, we performed a citation search and scanned reference lists. Clinical trials that performed an EEG-based examination on an adult patient group diagnosed with melancholic unipolar depression and compared with a control group of non-melancholic unipolar depression and/or healthy controls were eligible. Risk of bias was assessed by the Strengthening of Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Results: A total of 24 studies, all case-control design, met the inclusion criteria and could be divided into three subgroups: Resting state studies (n = 5), sleep EEG studies (n = 10), and event-related potentials (ERP) studies (n = 9). Within each subgroup, studies were characterized by marked variability on almost all levels, preventing pooling of data, and many studies were subject to weighty methodological problems. However, the main part of the studies identified one or several EEG parameters that differentiated the groups. Conclusions: Multiple EEG modalities showed an ability to distinguish melancholic patients from non-melancholic patients and/or healthy controls. The considerable heterogeneity across studies and the frequent methodological difficulties at the individual study level were the main limitations to this work. Also, the underlying premise of shifting diagnostic paradigms may have resulted in an inhomogeneous patient population. Systematic Review Registration: Registered in the PROSPERO registry on August 8th, 2020, registration number CRD42020197472.
