We are pleased to invite you to:

Health and Wellbeing Maurice Bloch Annual Lecture Series

Title: The Mind and Body Connection - Findings from Group Support Psychotherapy Research among Persons Living with HIV in Uganda

Date: Wednesday 31 May 2023

Time: 1-2pm (3-4pm Uganda, 2hr time difference), a light lunch will be served beforehand at 12.30pm for those attending in person.

Presenter: Prof Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu

Chair: Prof Helen Minnis

Venue: Room 103AB, Clarice Pears Building, 90 Byres Rd, G12 8TB

If you cannot attend in person but would like to join online please do so with ZOOM HERE

Abstract:

This public lecture explores the intricate relationship between mental and physical health, focusing on findings from group support psychotherapy research among persons living with HIV in Uganda. Persons living with HIV often face unique mental health challenges, such as depression, post-traumatic stress and anxiety, which exacerbate HIV-related physical symptoms and impacts overall health outcomes. Group support psychotherapy has emerged as an effective, culturally sensitive first-line psychological intervention that provides a safe and supportive environment for depressed individuals to share experiences and develop social connections, coping strategies and income generation skills.

The lecture highlights the positive impact of group support psychotherapy on mental health outcomes among persons living with HIV in Uganda, including improved social support, coping skills and income generation coupled with reduced symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stigma. Furthermore, improvements in mental health are associated with enhanced physical health outcomes, such as improved treatment adherence, and better viral suppression. These findings underscore the importance of addressing mental health as part of a comprehensive approach to overall health and well-being among individuals living with HIV.

Implications for mental health care among persons living with HIV in Uganda and beyond include emphasizing the importance of integrating culturally sensitive mental health interventions into existing HIV care platforms, and allocating resources to mental health infrastructure. By investing in mental health care and promoting interventions such as group support

Bio:

Dr. Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu is currently an associate professor of psychiatry at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. She works toward making psychotherapy more culturally appropriate, particularly for people living with HIV and depression. She has developed a highly cost-effective group support psychotherapy program that can be delivered by lay health workers and which has been shown to dramatically reduce depression symptoms and improve anti-viral medication adherence and viral suppression in those affected. Her research earned her the 2016 Elsevier Foundation Award, and a Presidential National Independence Medal of Honor on 8 March 2016 – International Women's Day. Recently, she was listed among the BBC 100 most inspiring and influential women in 2020. She completed her medical degree and Master of Medicine in Psychiatry at Makerere University in 1998 and 2006 respectively. In 2012, she attained a doctoral degree in psychiatric epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University, USA. Her work has been published in the Lancet HIV and Lancet Global Health. She has received funding from MQ: Transforming Mental Health, Grand Challenges Canada, the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United States Agency for International Development (Development Innovation Ventures), and the Child Relief International Foundation

Maurice Bloch Seminar: Prof Etheldreda Nakimuli-Mpungu