Treatment of Perinatal Depression and Correlates of Treatment Response Among Pregnant Women Living with HIV in Uganda.

INTRODUCTION: Perinatal depression is common among women living with HIV, but depression care is limited in low-resource settings. We examined (1) characteristics of women receiving Problem Solving Therapy (PST) versus antidepressant therapy (ADT), (2) treatment response by modality, and (3) correlates of treatment response. METHODS: This analysis used data from 191 Ugandan women in the intervention arm of a cluster randomized controlled trial of task-shifted, stepped-care depression treatment for pregnant women living with HIV (PWLWH). Treatment response was defined as scoring < 5 on the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine characteristics of women by treatment group and correlates of treatment response. RESULTS: Of 134 participants with depression, 129 (96%) were treated: 84 (65%) received PST and 45 (35%) received ADT. Severe depression at treatment initiation was more common in those receiving ADT (28.9% versus 4.8%, Fischer's Exact Test < 0.001). Treatment response was higher for PST (70/84; 83.3%) than ADT (30/45; 66.7%; p = .03). ADT side effects were rare and minor; no infants had serious congenital defects. Of 22 participants (19%) who did not respond to treatment, only five received intensified management. Social support and interpersonal violence were associated with treatment response (adjusted odds ratio, [aOR] = 3.06, 95% CI = 1.08-8.66 and aOR = 0.64, 95% CI = 0.44-0.93). DISCUSSION: Both depression treatment modalities yielded high response rates in Ugandan PWLWH; ADT was well-tolerated. Our results highlight a need to build capacity to implement the stepped-care protocol for non-responders and screen for social support and interpersonal violence.

Integrated care for people with long-term mental and physical health conditions in low-income and middle-income countries.

Integrated care is defined as health services that are managed and delivered such that people receive a continuum of health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment, disease management, rehabilitation, and palliative care services, coordinated across the different levels and sites of care within and beyond the health sector and, according to their needs, throughout the life course. In this Review, we describe the most relevant concepts and models of integrated care for people with chronic (or recurring) mental illness and comorbid physical health conditions, provide a conceptual overview and a narrative review of the strength of the evidence base for these models in high-income countries and in low-income and middle-income countries, and identify opportunities to test the feasibility and effects of such integrated care models. We discuss the rationale for integrating care for people with mental disorders into chronic care; the models of integrated care; the evidence of the effects of integrating care in high-income countries and in low-income and middle-income countries; the key organisational challenges to implementing integrated chronic care in low-income and middle-income countries; and the practical steps to realising a vision of integrated care in the future.