People living with HIV and a comorbid mental health disorder have a higher rate of mortality than those without mental health disorders, according to recent research published in the Journal of the International AIDS Society. Loss of life years may be attributed to factors such as late ART initiation, lower engagement in care, increased risk of suicide and accidental deaths and higher incidences of physical illness.

For this longitudinal cohort study, a team of researchers, including corresponding author Andreas D. Haas, from the University of Bern in Switzerland, used medical records and mortality data from clinical cohorts in South Africa and North America. Participants were followed between the years 2000 and 2021. Disorders such as depression, anxiety, psychotic disorders, and sub

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