Mental Illness Increases HIV and AIDS Tests - Article Example

This essay will reflect on the article HIV Testing among Adults with Mental Illness in the United s. This article received publication in the AIDS Patient Care and STDs journal in December 2014. It illuminates on an issue of the mentally ill receiving more HIV and AIDS tests because of their condition. This article will analyze this article step-by-step. Abstract The research examined whether mental illnesses affects the proportion of HIV/AIDS tests. This study was a behavioral study on how people associate HIV/AIDS with the mentally ill. Participants will have to be mentally ill and those who are not mentally ill.HIV/AIDS/Aids epidemic is responsible for more than 25 million people ((Fernandez 2006)). It is not only detrimental to health but impairs economic and social development, causes food insecurity, infectious diseases among others. Introduction Individuals suffering from mental illness are likely to have received more HIV/AIDS tests than their counterparts are. A research team at Penn Medicine and the CDC published a report on this scenario in the AIDS Patient care and STDs. They study revealed that those who suffered the most were those with serious conditions like schizophrenia and bipolar Rationale The study revealed that people who suffered from mental disorders or who provide them with due care recognize the importance of testing the patients. This is because they are at a greater risk. However, the results are complacent because they are largely due to individual participants’ vigilance. The fact is that there are more and formal screening endeavors and prevention measures targeted at this risk population. It is more likely for a mentally ill individual participate in activites that are risky to their healthr. It is prudent for mental health care staff to routinely give mental health patients HIV/AIDS/AIDS testing in more frequent routines. This research examines the possibility of schizophrenia increasing HIV/AIDS tests by humans. The results will be unbiased in regards to smoking and gender comparison. Schizophrenia appears to have an impact on HIV/AIDS but the statistics on schizophrenia aids patients is unknown. This research aims to give statistics on the possibility of increased HIV test with regard to quantity and time spent suffering from mental illness. This research will help doctors dealing with schizophrenia cases and show people dangers associated with mental illnesses. Literature Review  The aids pandemic has great impacts on the world. For example, a case scenario of South Africa, which reports the highest number of 5.6 million, infected with HIV/AIDS/AIDS in the last five years. The prevalence rate for HIV/AIDS/AIDS in the country is at 17.3% ((Fernandez 2006)). However, this rate varies in the different regions. For example, in KwaZulu-Natal, the prevalence rate for people aged 15-49 living with HIV/AIDS/AIDS is about 40%. The epidemic has hit the age bracket of young adults quite heavily. This translates into young orphans since both or one of their parents is lost to the epidemic. The number of premature deaths due to the epidemic is at 75% from 35% in the last ten years ((Fernandez 2006)). The loss of a parent causes great emotional effect on children and financial strain to their families. A survey indicated that 80% of a community would incur greater than half loss of their per capital income with the breadwinner’s death. Estimates show the existence of about 1.9 million AIDS orphans and more than 70% maternal AIDS orphans ((Fernandez 2006)). Surveys report that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is responsible for half of the orphaned children in the country. Research shows that approximately one person in a group of ten will be suffering from a mental illness. It also indicates that high numbers of this people suffer from HIV/AIDS. This has led to research on the relationship between HIV/AIDS and people suffering from mental illness like schizophrenia. Mental illness is a part of society behaviors is subject to medical research (Yehia 2014). All over the world, there are campaigns warning on the dangers that unsafe sexual behaviors pose. The unanswered question is why mentally ill individuals will engage in those unsafe habits with the risks associated with it. Methodology Most of this research material was from committed doctors and patients. Mental clinics will received direct contacting while general clinics will receive emails as a mode of communication. Mental clinics took first priority. This is because most of their patients suffer mental issues and require advice. Pharmaceutical institutions offered information on the behaviors of their patients. This enhanced the process of data collection. The information obtained built a database to show mentally infected persons according to geography distribution. This aided in calculating a suitable sample size to reduce occurrence of an error. Television and newspaper advertising will help attract potential participants from the selected areas. Obtaining specific drugs used in treatment will help in ranking medication according to effectiveness. This will show existence of Patterns of mental illness to HIV/AIDS/AIDS. The collected data will be in relation to age, gender, and race, and ethnicity, type of mental illness and infection stage of the individual. This research will use quasi-experimental design. The focused research participants will enable accurate data.  Data collection will be through interviews and questionnaires. Part of the participants may receive biasness due to lack of treatment or means to acquire it. Successful cases of treatment will add to data but not affect the initial diagnosis of HIV/AIDS/AIDS alongside mental illnesses like schizophrenia. Discussions The research observed that around 15% of the participants had a psychiatric disorder. In this group about eighty-nine percent exhibited signs of anxiety or depression, 2.6 percent had a schizophrenia disorder while 8.5% suffered from bipolar disorder. In the group, which contained people, suffering from one mental issue about 48.5% had received a HIV/AIDS test. This is in comparison to a lower rate of 35% (Yehia 2014) of individuals who did not suffer from the illness. The study revealed that 64% of people with schizophrenia, 63% with bipolar disorder (Yehia 2014) as well as 47% of individuals with anxiety or depression have gotten a HIV/AIDS test HIV/AIDS infections and mental illnesses co-occur quite often. The research put this number at half percent of mentally ill patients live with HIV/AIDS/AIDS also. In addition, about five to twenty-three percent have HIV/AIDS. In addition, the study revealed that individuals aged twenty-five to forty four, ethnic and racial minorities had more HIV/AIDS tests. It was also clear that separated, divorced or widowed victims also had more HIV/AIDS/AIDS tests than their counterparts did. Individuals taking tobacco and alcohol excessively also fell in this group whose HIV/AIDS risk factors received checks quite frequently. The research indicated that individuals suffering from mental illnesses were more probable to participate in risky behaviours that could them to get/AIDS transmission. These include sexual intercourse with multiple partners, unprotected sex, sharing injections during drug abuse. The test was consistent with previous studies that showed higher rates of mentally ill patients getting tested (Yehia 2014). However, large numbers of people remain untested. The report recommended that people aged thirteen to sixty four to undergo a HIV/AIDS test. It necessitated the need for people who were not tested to do so. It also advocated for an increase in public health care prevention endeavors. It also listed people at high risks of obtaining the virus as sex workers, injecting drug takers alongside their intimate partners, men who slept with other men, and heterosexuals who had many sexual partners. The research advised for an annually testing for this people. Healthcare providers should will locate areas requiring educational programs and provide report to the government. Community training will be required especially professionals such as teachers, doctors and social workers in these areas to ensure the victims are well taken care of. Every team will have thirty to fifty participants in order to reach 300 to 500 professionals. Groups will run in all problematic areas with equal gender numbers. Training will be both practical and theoretical. It will cover counseling of orphans, impact, and cases of AIDS, identifying mentally ill patients and their needs, developing and running projects. Training will occur for one week per year for the two years. The government can award those willing to help in the process with certified certificates and quality control. Charity foundations should aid in funding this training component. We believe that the context and intentions make the project imperative. Emphasis on community will ensure sustainability. The government should also give substantial support. Our record, management, competent staff, and financial position give us high qualifications to make the project a success. Further directions A service project to find foster families for AIDS orphans should receive incorporation to reduce occurrences of mental illnesses like depression. The project should educate and support institutions in existence; and should occur nationwide. The project should guide teachers on how to cope with the challenges brought by AIDS orphans or mentally ill children in classes. This project will enable an establishment of a vision of communities where each individual is viewed as a valued and unique God-created individual and encouragement to reach full potential. This occurs through involvement of congregations and communities in support of HIV/AIDS patients and or mentally ill patients. Education campaigns for professionals to enable them face upcoming challenges. Supporting and enabling projects that are both family and cost friendly in support of these individuals. References Fernandez, F., Ruiz, P., & Ovid Technologies, Inc. (2006). Psychiatric aspects of HIV/AIDS. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Yehia Baligh R., Cui Wanjun, Thompson William W., Zack Matthew M., Mcknight-Eily Lela, Dinenno Elizabeth, Rose Charles E., and Blank Michael B.( 2014) HIV Testing Among Adults with Mental Illness in the United States. AIDS Patient Care and STDs. Vol. 28, No. 12: 628-634 Read More