HIV & Mental Health

Why?

One of the main outcomes of the Ageing with HIV Project of the EATG (2016-2018) was the identification of mental health as a key neglected area, and its importance for the quality of life for People living with HIV. This finding is also supported by scientific evidence, which suggests that mental health problems are one of the most significant areas of comorbidity for people living with HIV worldwide and are more prevalent among people living with HIV than the general population.

As an outcome of the HIV and Mental Health Project 2020/2021, which was based on the increasing mental health needs in people living with HIV and global trends in mental health issues, the current project HIV & Mental Health was developed. Building on past outcomes, the activities for the 2022-2023 cycle remain focused on EATG’s aim to continue to work on improving the collaboration among relevant stakeholders, as well as guidance and practices in collaborative working across community and health care settings.

What?

The HIV & Mental Health project aims to explore the existing knowledge about the interplay of mental health, well-being and HIV and translate it into practical recommendations for both community organisations and healthcare professionals in the European context. The recommendations advise on how to develop a supportive and integrated framework within the HIV care setting, which provides people living with HIV with access to prevention, screening, treatment and care for mental health problems. This framework will take into consideration the specific needs of vulnerable populations and address the issue of substance use. A European network bringing together the different stakeholders in the field of mental health and HIV was formed and a platform for them to interact was established.

With whom?

The project is mainly addressed to: 1) community, people living with HIV as well as persons working in community HIV organisations at the local, regional or international level in the European context and 2) healthcare professionals who provide prevention, treatment and care services for people living with HIV. Other key stakeholders are national/EU-level decision-makers and agencies in the health sector and international organisations working in the mental health field. Researchers/academia and industry working in the HIV field will also be closely linked to during the project.

How?

The main activities of the project are:

• Development of an online European Platform on HIV and Mental Health to build a solid network that allows continuous and sustainable collaboration and experience exchange of the stakeholders involved in the project beyond the project duration, both online and offline.
• A follow up awareness-raising campaign and materials on HIV and Mental Health, published and disseminated in English and Russian.
• Major campaign event on World Mental Health Day 2022 with the engagement of a wide range of stakeholders.
• Online multistakeholder workshop to define a framework for mental health task sharing across community, healthcare and specialist levels in the HIV field.

For what outcome?

The expected specific outcomes of the project are:

• Awareness on the interplay of mental health, well-being and HIV is created among community organisations, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders in the HIV field at the European level through broad dissemination of the knowledge generated through this project.
• European stakeholders from community, healthcare sector, policy, industry, research and international organisations are considering the interplay of mental health, well-being and HIV in their respective areas of work, based on the findings and recommendations of the project.
• European stakeholders from community, healthcare sector, policy, industry, research and international organisations use the European Platform to collaborate and engage in meaningful exchanges regarding the interplay of mental health, well-being and HIV.

The European Platform is a specific output related to these overall project outcomes. The objectives of the platform are:

• To promote the outcomes and recommendations of EATG’s HIV & Mental Health project.
• To facilitate ongoing communication and collaboration among stakeholders on HIV and Mental Health.
• To support a biennial conference on HIV and Mental Health.