The current estimates may not reflect the true prevalence of depression; there is evidence that depression may be under-diagnosed U0126 ic50 among HIV patients [7]. Suffering from a mental disease is often perceived as shameful and may be neglected by both patients and health professionals. Living with

two stigmatizing diseases – HIV and depression – is presumed to be important in the long-term prognosis of HIV patients and for their quality of life [8]. Together with HIV, the symptoms and diagnosis of depression are associated with poor adherence to antiretroviral medication regimens [9–11] and accelerated disease progression [1,12], including the effects of HIV and side-effects caused by treatment [1]. It

is assumed that depression itself is associated with unsafe sex and thus with the risk of transmitting HIV or contracting HIV [13]. Depression also correlates with other traumatic events in the patient’s life or other stressors associated with HIV diagnosis (e.g. constant reminder of illness, daily stress, stigma, isolation), social status and coping strategies as well as excessive consumption of alcohol and substance abuse [3,14,15]. European studies on the relationship between HIV and depression are scarce, and we have identified no European studies on the prevalence of diagnosed depression using both a validated screening method and a clinical interview by a consultant psychiatrist. Many studies rely on self-reported symptom scales and do not use the ‘gold standard’– a structured psychiatric interview – to assess mTOR inhibitor depression [6]. Patients’ self-reporting is not a validated method to diagnose major depression [5]. In Denmark, there are no studies on the prevalence of diagnosed depression among HIV-positive patients; we do not

know if depression is comorbid with HIV in this population. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of depression among HIV patients in an out-patient clinic in Denmark using both a validated screening method and a clinical interview by a consultant psychiatrist. From May 2005 to September 2005, 391 HIV patients at the Department of Infectious Diseases at Aarhus University Hospital, Skejby, Denmark, were recruited to the study. To be Phosphoribosylglycinamide formyltransferase eligible, patients had to be diagnosed with HIV, aged 18 or older and be able to read and write Danish. Fifty patients were excluded because they did not read or write Danish, leaving 341 patients eligible for study. All patients gave their written informed consent prior to participation. A questionnaire was mailed to each person, including patient information and a prepaid response envelope. HIV-related information was obtained from both the questionnaire and medical records. The study population was compared to the Danish HIV Cohort regarding baseline characteristics [16].