The effect of adherence on the association between depressive symptoms and mortality among HIV-infected individuals first initiating HAART

The results indicate that both depressive symptoms and adherence were associated with shorter survival among individuals with HIV accessing HAART. Given the high prevalence of depressive symptoms in HIV-positive patients and a strong association with adherence, the findings support improvement in the diagnosis and treatment of depression as well as adherence in order to maximize the effectiveness of HAART.