Abstract
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has improved significantly since the first successful therapeutic trial using AZT (zidovudine) in 1986. It has greatly reduced overall morbidity and mortality in individuals with HIV, and has reduced perinatal and behavior-associated transmission. In most patients who have access to these medications, treatment initiated before the onset of advanced immunodeficiency reduces plasma HIV RNA concentrations (“viral load”) to undetectable levels and results in robust and sustained gains in CD4 T-cell counts. Antiretroviral therapy is currently potent, convenient, and typically well tolerated. It is important for mental health care providers to be aware of the various antiretroviral medications that can be used to treat HIV because some may interact with various psychotropic medications and others may produce neuropsychiatric effects that must be distinguished from the symptoms of the underlying mental disorder.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Suggested Reading
Blashill, A. J., Perry, N., & Safren, S. A. (2011). Mental health: A focus on stress, coping, and mental illness as it relates to treatment retention, adherence, and other health outcomes. Current HIV/AIDS Report, 8, 215–222.
Department of Health and Human Services. (2011, October 14). Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1 infected adults and adolescents. Washington, DC: Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/guidelines/html/1/adult-and-adolescent-treatment-guidelines/0/
Volberding, P. A., & Deeks, S. G. (2010). Antiretroviral therapy and management of HIV infection. Lancet, 376, 49–62.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Wagner, T. (2013). Antiretroviral Therapy. In: Loue, S. (eds) Mental Health Practitioner's Guide to HIV/AIDS. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5283-6_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5283-6_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-5282-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-5283-6
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)