Addressing Mental Health Challenges in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults Living with HIV

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Young people living with HIV (PLWHIV) are at an increased risk for developing mental health disorders than people not living with HIV. PLWHIV commonly internalize negative attitudes and beliefs resulting from widespread HIV stigma, which leads to poor mental health outcomes and difficulty medically managing HIV. Challenges in mental health can negatively affect engagement in medical care and adherence to medical treatment. This presentation aims to increase the audience’s understanding of mental health challenges of children, adolescents, and young adults living with HIV and to provide ways to address their particular needs and promote overall physical and mental health.

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Educational Objectives

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• Describe at least three common mental health challenges that children, adolescents, and young adults face when living with HIV.
• List how mental health challenges can impact their medical care and treatment.
• Identify at least three ways to address the particular mental health challenges that children, adolescents, and young adults living with HIV face to improve their self-perceived health and reception of medical treatment.

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Faculty

Gretchen Cruz Figueroa, PsyDBio is the Director of Mental Health Services for the Special Immunology Services Ryan White Program at Children’s National Hospital (CNH) in Washington, DC. She has an academic appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor for Pediatrics, Psychology, and Behavioral Science at George Washington University. Dr. Cruz Figueroa provides mental health treatment and consultation for children, adolescents, and Young Adults living with HIV in the DMV area. She is the co-founder and Co-Director of the Spanish Emphasis Training Program (STEP) at CNH, created to develop formalized training activities for all CNH’s clinical psychology and neuropsychology trainees (externs, interns, and fellows) and behavioral health staff who are bilingual (English-Spanish) and wish to increase their confidence, competence, and comfort in serving Spanish speaking families throughout the hospital.