RESUMO
Little diagnostic information is available for those who represent a significant part of the HIV epidemic: substance-using members of racial and ethnic minority communities. Our paper describes the rates of psychiatric diagnoses in a convenience sample of HIV-positive, African American and Hispanic clients in methadone treatment in the Bronx, NY. Out of 139 HIV-positive volunteers, 99 subjects had diagnoses in addition to opioid dependence on agonist therapy. The mean number of diagnoses was 3.84 (SD = 1.41). These findings confirm the need to target mental health as part of the national response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in inner cities.
Assuntos
Negro ou Afro-Americano , Infecções por HIV/etnologia , Hispânico ou Latino , Transtornos Mentais/diagnóstico , Transtornos Mentais/etnologia , Metadona/uso terapêutico , Entorpecentes/uso terapêutico , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Opioides/etnologia , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Opioides/reabilitação , Adulto , Comorbidade , Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais , Feminino , Infecções por HIV/epidemiologia , Humanos , Masculino , Programas de Rastreamento/métodos , Transtornos Mentais/epidemiologia , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Opioides/epidemiologiaRESUMO
We identify the psychiatric diagnoses and utilization patterns of HIV-positive persons of color who received culturally responsive mental health services integrated into a community medical clinic. Ninety-three patients were referred and 86% (n = 80) appeared for at least one encounter. Hispanics, compared with African-Americans, and HIV patients, compared with AIDS patients, were more likely to receive psychotropic prescriptions. Patients with six or more visits were defined as high utilizers: they comprised 27.5% of the patients but used 67.3% of the services. Development of a broader range of psychiatric interventions that address diagnoses, utilization, and psychotropics will better meet these patients' needs.