HIV/AIDS and mental health – MAIDS developmental program for change agents

“HIV/AIDS and mental health in South-Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia” is the project carried out in cooperation with GIP Global Initiative in Psychiatry (2007-2010). The project aimed at raising awareness and knowledge among professional and general public on frequently neglected connection between mental health and HIV. Our section became a part of the Expert centres network in this part of Europe. As part of the project several activities were conducted: four qualitative studies (RAR studies on mental health and HIV), four training modules were delivered to mixed groups of participants, relevant publications were printed, and initiatives for better response to the mental health needs of affected population were launched, as many other interventions.

One of the main activities of the Expert centre for HIV/AIDS and mental health is organization of the continuous education for mixed groups of participants who became our change agents in the process. The goal of the MAIDS training was to empower different professionals and paraprofessionals who are involved in HIV to adequately respond to the needs of people with HIV from the medical, psychological and social perspective, and to promote HIV prevention. Within MAIDS project four training modules were delivered with eleven training events and more then 80 participants who passed the continuous program. MAIDS training encompass four modules with different topics:

MODULE 1 “Introduction to HIV and mental health”

MODULE 2 “Supporting people with HIV who belong to vulnerable groups”

MODULE 3 “Supporting people living with HIV and AIDS”

MODULE 4 “Adherence and mental health”

The majority of training participants became part of the change agents network and act as important educational resource of our centre.

Contact person: Biljana Petrović bpetrovic@ian.org.rs