TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2001//
TI  - Suicide probability and psychological morbidity secondary to HIV infection: a control study of HIV-seropositive, hepatitis C virus (HCV)-seropositive and HIV/HCV-seronegative injecting drug users
JO  - Journal of affective disorders
A1  - Grassi, L.
A1  - Mondardini, D.
A1  - Pavanati, M.
A1  - Sighinolfi, L.
A1  - Serra, A.
A1  - Ghinelli, F.
SP  - 195
EP  - 202
VL  - 64
IS  - 2-3
N2  - BACKGROUND: Suicide ideation and psychological morbidity among HIV-positive patients has been the object of intense research. No study has investigated this area among injecting drug users (IDUs) infected with HIV and those infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which has the same patterns of transmission of the HIV and may favour HIV replication and, possibly, HIV disease progression. METHODS: In order to examine the prevalence and characteristics of suicide ideation and psychological morbidity associated with HIV and HCV infection in IDUs, a sample of HIV+ (n=81), HIV-/HCV+ (n=62) and HIV-/HCV- (n=152) subjects completed the Suicide Probability Scale (SPS), The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). RESULTS: No difference was found between the groups as far as the mean scores on SPS and the risk of suicide (no-low risk category: 70.7% HIV+, 56.09% HCV+, 65.6% HIV-/HCV-). Estimated psychological morbidity (BSI) (26.9% HIV+, 27.1% HCV+, 25.4% of HIV-/HCV-) and BSI and HADS scores were comparable across the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Suicide ideation, psychological morbidity and anxiety and depression symptoms seemed not to be directly influenced by HIV-serostatus. Careful assessment of psychological symptoms and suicide ideas among IDUs, as a vulnerable segment of population at risk of HIV and HCV infections, needs to be routinely carried out in clinical settings.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0165-0327
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -