Abstract Body

While HIV/AIDS has become a chronic, manageable illness for people with access to HIV medical care and treatment with antiretrovirals, there is ample evidence of an ongoing pandemic, with 36.9 million persons living with HIV, even though HIV and AIDS are entirely preventable. Symposium presenters are academics from the WPA HIV Psychiatry Section. They will underscore the importance of a comprehensive biopsychosociocultural approach to HIV/AIDS care and psychiatric care. Dr. Pereira will review advancements in HIV treatment and consequent increase in life expectancy. He will review challenges with current HIV treatment, including drug-drug interactions and neuropsychiatric side effects of ARVs. Dr. Sales will describe overlapping features between COVID-19 and HIV pandemic responses. He will review similarities and differences between long COVID syndrome and HIV associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND). He will address HIV stigma, the COVID antivaccination movement, and the risk of moral injury while treating the pandemic of the unvaccinated. Dr. Siste will present her research findings from a cross sectional study in Indonesia showing that lifetime suicidality in persons with HIV was associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms, non-marital status, CD4 count < 500 cells/μl, and efavirenz use. She will discuss relevant suicide prevention strategies. Dr. Thisayakorn will describe the development of an innovative collaborative care model between psychiatry and primary care for persons with HIV in Thailand that could be replicated in underserved areas. This symposium will provide useful guidance for psychiatrists, mental health professionals and trainees as they face ongoing challenges in working with persons with HIV.