First, the depressing (literally) news: 42% of adult HIVers suffer from clinical depression, and the condition hampers HIV treatment by making it difficult to properly adhere to medication regimens as well as through a effect unrelated to adherence that is not yet understood, according to a report in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.
But there is a bright spot in this study of more than 3,300 HIVers: Treating depression with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors'including such commonly prescribed drugs as Prozac, Paxil, and Zoloft'not only helps curb depression but also restores the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy.
