Depression and thoughts of suicide among middle-aged and older persons living with HIV-AIDS

Objective: This study examined the prevalence and characteristics of suicid al ideation among middle-aged and older persons who have HIV infection or A IDS. Methods: A total of 113 subjects older than age 45 who had HIV-AIDS we re recruited from AIDS service organizations in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and N ew York City. Participants completed confidential questionnaires covering s uicidal ideation, emotional distress, quality of life, coping, and social s upport. Results: Twenty-seven percent of respondents reported having though t about taking their own life in the previous week. Those who had thought a bout suicide reported greater levels of emotional distress and poorer healt h-related quality of life than those who had not considered suicide. They w ere also significantly more likely to use escape and avoidance strategies f or coping with HIV infection and less likely to use positive-reappraisal co ping. Those who had thought about suicide also were more likely to have dis closed their HIV status to the people close to them, and yet they perceived receiving significantly less social support from friends and family. With the exceptions of physical functioning and coping strategies, differences b etween those who had contemplated suicide and those who had not remained un changed after controlling for symptoms of depression. Conclusions: Persons who are in midlife and colder and are living with HIV-AIDS experience signi ficant emotional distress and thoughts of suicide, suggesting a need for ta rgeted interventions to improve mental health and prevent suicide.