Abstract
Malawi is located in the southern part of Africa with a population of more than 16 million people. The country is ravaged with HIV and AIDS epidemic of which the prevalence rate is at 14%. The people who have HIV/AIDS are also affected by mental and psychological disorders. Nevertheless, very little is known about mental health care of people who have HIV and AIDS in Malawi. We did literature search using AJOL, Proquest, PsychINFO, Google Scholar and HINARI search engines and the search yielded scanty (12) research studies on the mental health of people with HIV and AIDS that were conducted in Malawi between 2006-2014. Twelve (12) studies that were reviewed focused on prevalence of mental disorders among people who have HIV and AIDS; nurses’ knowledge and skills for providing mental health care to people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA); perceived risk of HIV infection among people who have mental health problems; substance abuse and HIV/AIDS issues and awareness of interaction between HIV/AIDS and Mental health. In conclusion, the review shows that people with HIV infection are also affected by mental health problems such as depression and substance abuse. They receive some mental health care in general settings at ART clinics because mental health care is integrated into general health care delivery system. Therefore, it is necessary that health professionals who are generalists should be equipped with adequate knowledge and skills for providing mental health care to care to people with HIV and AIDS.
Highlights
Malawi is located in the southern part of Africa
Twelve (12) studies that were reviewed focused on prevalence of mental disorders among people who have HIV and AIDS; nurses’ knowledge and skills for providing mental health care to people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA); perceived risk of HIV infection among people who have mental health problems; substance abuse and HIV/AIDS issues and awareness of interaction between HIV/AIDS and Mental health
The review shows that people with HIV infection are affected by mental health problems such as depression and substance abuse
Summary
Malawi is located in the southern part of Africa. The country has an estimated population of more than 16 mil-How to cite this paper: Chorwe-Sungani, G., Sefasi, A. and Pindani, M. (2015) Mental Health Problems Affecting People Who Have HIV and AIDS in Malawi: A Review. (2015) Mental Health Problems Affecting People Who Have HIV and AIDS in Malawi: A Review. The people who have HIV/AIDS in Malawi like elsewhere are affected by mental and psychological disorders [2]-[5]. Despite the fact that mental health and HIV and AIDS are linked, very little is documented about mental health problems that affect people who have HIV and AIDS in Malawi. The delivery of mental health care to people who have HIV and AIDS is important because apart from the physical illnesses associated with the virus, these people are affected by mental disorders [6]-[9]. HIV and AIDS intervention programmes must include mental health care if they are going to be successful [7]. Providing mental health care to PLWHA may be helpful in preventing further spread of the infection and improving the quality of life of those affected [10]
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