Older Patients Especially Prone to Depression, Stress

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Older Patients Especially Prone to Depression, Stress

AIDS Alert (11/00) Vol. 15, No. 11, P. 132

The number of men over age 45 with AIDS has doubled since 1995, and approximately one-quarter of the newly infected women are between the ages of 35 and 44. These statistics, as well as the ability of antiretroviral drugs to extend HIV patients' lives, lend support the suggestion that the HIV- infected population will increasingly shift to people in their middle years. People with HIV in their 50s or older have specific concerns, including depression. Timothy Heckman, associate professor of psychology at Ohio University in Athens, has helped with two studies of depression among older HIV patients. Because older people often live alone, they suffer from feelings of depression, and HIV infection can cause loss of independence and discrimination, leading to thoughts of suicide. Suicide is a top 10 cause of death for adults aged 45 to 65, and HIV infection makes the risk significantly higher. Heckman studied how healthcare workers can help this group of people. Among other things, he found that they should increase group support of older adults, who enjoy meeting people their age with HIV. Coping training is also important, and a support group can create goals to help prevent depression after the loss of a loved one or lost job. Disclosing HIV status is also painful to older adults, who need help with telling their family. A support group provides an arena to practice HIV disclosure. Telephone support groups can link several people at the same time, so they can have a normal conversation, if they are not all together. Internet chat rooms can provide similar support, but many low-income people say that a telephone conference is a more viable option.
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