The behaviourally disturbed patient with HIV/AIDS

Abstract

While HIV invades the brain early in the course of HIV infection, severe mental illness probably only occurs later in the disease. In many instances this may be the first presentation of a psychiatric illness in a younger person. In addition, the clinical syndrome may include manic and/or psychotic features, together with neurocognitive disturbance. These patients are at risk of secondary opportunistic infections or other features of systemic immunocompromise which may cause or confound the clinical picture.