Incident major depression does not affect neuropsychological functioning in HIV-infected men.

The diagnosis of lifetime major depressive disorders (MDDs) and of current major depressive episodes (MDEs) are relatively common in HIV-infected individuals, and often are assumed to influence neuropsychological (NP) performance. Although cross-sectional studies of HIV-infected individuals generally have found no systematic link between current MDE or depressive symptoms and NP performance, longitudinal studies are needed to clarify whether incident MDE may impact NP functioning in at least some cases. Two hundred twenty-seven human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected adult men, who did not meet criteria for a current MDE at baseline, participated in a longitudinal NP study for an average of two years. Participants received repeated NP assessments, as well as structured psychiatric interviews to ascertain presence or absence of both lifetime MDD and current MDE. Ninety-eight participants had a lifetime history of MDD, and 23 participants met criteria for incident MDE at one of their follow-up evaluations. Groups with and without lifetime MDD and/or incident MDE had comparable demographics, HIV disease status and treatment histories at baseline, and numbers of intervening assessments between baseline and the final follow-up. Lifetime MDD was associated with greater complaints of cognitive difficulties in everyday life, and such complaints were increased at the times of incident MDE. However, detailed group comparisons revealed no NP performance differences in association with either lifetime or incident major depression. Finally, NP data from consistently nondepressed participants were used to develop "norms for change" and these findings failed to show any increased rates of NP worsening among individuals with incident MDE. Our results suggest that neurocognitive impairment and major depression should be considered as two independent processes.

Depression and suicidality in HIV/AIDS in China.

BACKGROUND: This pilot study examined rates of major depression and suicidality and their associations with daily functioning in HIV infected (HIV+) and uninfected (HIV-) persons in China. METHOD: HIV+ participants (N=28) and demographically matched HIV- controls (N=23) completed the Chinese Composite International Diagnostic Interview to determine lifetime rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicidality. Current mood and suicidal ideation were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory-I. The impact of depression and HIV infection on daily functioning was measured by an Activity of Daily Living questionnaire. RESULTS: Mean duration of known HIV+ status was 2 years. Almost 79% (n=22) of HIV+ but just 4% (n=1) of HIV- groups reported lifetime major depression. Of the 22 HIV+ individuals with lifetime MDD, only one had onset before learning of HIV status. The remainder developed MDD within 6 months after testing HIV positive. In those HIV+ subjects who met MDD criteria after HIV diagnosis, only two (9%) had received depression treatment, yet four (18%) had persisting active suicidal thoughts. Depression and HIV+ status independently predicted worse daily functioning. LIMITATIONS: Representativeness is limited in this small sample of convenience. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study presents evidence of high rates of major depression and suicidality in HIV-infected persons in China. Despite this, few had sought mental health assistance, suggesting a need to increase awareness of psychiatric comorbidity and access to mental health services.

Screening for major depression in persons with HIV infection: the concurrent predictive validity of the Profile of Mood States Depression-Dejection Scale.

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is among the most prevalent but underdiagnosed psychiatric disorders in persons with HIV infection. Given the known adverse impact of comorbid MDD on HIV disease progression and health-related quality of life, it is important both for research and for efficient, effective clinical care, to validate existing screening measures that may discriminate between MDD and the somatic symptoms of HIV (such as fatigue). In the current study, we evaluated the concurrent predictive validity of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) Depression-Dejection scale in detecting current MDD in 310 persons with HIV infection. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) diagnosis of MDD and the Cognitive-Affective scale from the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-CA) served as comparative diagnostic and severity measures of depression, respectively. Results demonstrated that the POMS Depression-Dejection scale accurately classified persons with and without MDD SCID diagnoses, with an overall hit rate of 80%, sensitivity of 55%, specificity of 84%, and negative predictive power of 91% using a recommended cutpoint of 1.5 standard deviations above the normative mean. Moreover, the POMS performed comparably to the BDI-CA in classifying MDD. Findings support the predictive validity of the POMS Depression-Dejection scale as a screening instrument for MDD in persons with HIV disease.

Effects of HIV-1 infection and aging on neurobehavioral functioning: preliminary findings.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of aging on the presentation of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders are largely unknown. In a cross-sectional observational study, we compared the neuropsychological profiles of 67 HIV-positive patients aged at least 50 years with those of 52 participants aged 35 years or less. METHODS: Participants received neuropsychological, psychiatric and neuromedical evaluations. Raw neuropsychological test scores were converted to demographically corrected T-scores; all were corrected for the effects of normal aging. Clinical ratings of impairment were assigned to the neuropsychological results. RESULTS: The two groups did not differ statistically with respect to demographic variables, percentage with AIDS, or CD4 cell counts. The 'younger' group had higher viral burdens in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and fewer were receiving antiretroviral treatment. The proportion of neuropsychologically impaired subjects in the 'older' group was slightly greater than in the younger group, and the older group tended to have higher rates of impairment across most ability domains. When group differences in CSF viral load were modeled statistically, both viral burden and age were significant predictors of neuropsychological impairment, together with a significant interaction between viral burden and age. Older individuals with detectable virus in CSF had twice the prevalence of neuropsychological impairment of those with undetectable levels. Among younger individuals, this proportion was not affected by viral load. Lifetime major depression, substance use disorder, and current depression symptoms were not associated with neuropsychological impairment. CONCLUSION: Although further studies with larger and older samples are needed, this investigation suggests that older adults may be at greater risk of HIV-related neurocognitive dysfunction.

Psychiatric and neurocognitive disorders among HIV-positive and negative veterans in care: Veterans Aging Cohort Five-Site Study.

BACKGROUND: The risk for psychiatric and neurocognitive disorders among middle-aged and older individuals with HIV infection has not been well characterized. METHODS: The Veterans Aging Cohort 5-Site Study enrolled 1803 patients (1047 HIV-positive) from VA infectious disease and general medicine clinics from September 2001 to June 2002. A convenience subset of 10 patients from each site (n = 50) was consented for formal neurocognitive and psychiatric (NCP) testing. Data from this subset were linked to the larger sample. RESULTS: Kappa scores for agreement beyond chance were fair for available measures when compared with formal NCP testing. Using available measures, depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 and provider reported), alcohol abuse or dependence (ICD-9 codes), and drug abuse or dependence (DAST-10) decreased with age in HIV-negative subjects (P trend <0.05) but did not among HIV-positive subjects (P > 0.05). HIV-positive subjects demonstrated higher prevalence of these conditions with increasing age when compared to HIV-negative subjects. Patient report of memory problems increased with age among both groups after excluding those reporting symptoms of depression (PHQ-9e > or = 10). CONCLUSION: Available measures were no substitute for formal NCP testing. Older HIV-positive veterans demonstrate greater prevalence of depressive symptoms, alcohol abuse or dependence, and drug abuse or dependence than age-matched, HIV-negative veterans. Both groups reported increased memory problems with advancing age. This preliminary work suggests a substantial prevalence of psychiatric and neurocognitive problems among middle-aged and older HIV-infected individuals.