About this Research Topic

Background

As the 21st century continues to unfold emerging, re-emerging and newly emerging infectious diseases will become more pronounced. These infectious diseases like Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which has led to 6, 330, 802 deaths globally as of 28th June 2022, contend with other existing global health priorities such as mental health, HIV/AIDs, cancers, malaria, and monkeypox. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many countries to focus their attention and resources on tackling the disease, paying less attention to other public health issues such as the need to integrate mental health services into HIV care. But “investing in mental health and psychosocial support, and ensuring the integration of mental health and HIV interventions, are critical for achieving universal health coverage, ensuring health equity and ending the AIDS epidemic” (WHO, 2022:6).

Globally, studies have reported that people living with HIV are significantly more likely to have suicidal thoughts and to die by suicide compared with the general population. Furthermore, people living with HIV have a higher suicide rate which measures to as much as a 100-fold in comparison to the general public. While adolescents that are living with HIV tend to have a much higher prevalence of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety in comparison to their peers that are HIV negative. As a result of stigma, social marginalization, and the vulnerability of key populations that tend to experience emotional distress, this, in turn, leads to mental health conditions. However, the integration of mental health services into HIV care will immensely address the mental health challenges faced by people living with HIV. In recent times, the Global AIDS Strategy 2021–2026 advocates for the integration of mental health services with HIV care and interventions. This Research Topic is aimed at publishing evidence-based studies on the benefits of integrating mental health and HIV into packages of essential services and care.

This Research Topic will include (but is not limited to):
• Access to mental health and HIV care
• Utilisation of mental health and HIV care services
• Mental health and HIV are related stigma
• Early detection of mental health and HIV
• Policy gaps in mental health and HIV care
• Human Resources for mental health and HIV care
• Ethics, mental health services, and HIV care
• Investment, mental health services, and HIV care

Manuscripts exploring services are in scope for the Mental Health Services section of Frontiers in Health Services.

Keywords: Implementation, Integration, Mental Health Services, HIV Care, COVID-19 Pandemic

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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