Hi there,

My name is Solape Bamijoko, a Gede Foundation team member who has worked as an HIV/AIDS Counselor for the last seven years. Are HIV/AIDS and mental health related you would ask? When growing up in Nigeria, I often thought that 'mental health' really only referred to the man roaming the street...or chained to the treatment bed. Is that what ‘mental health’ is all about? What of the person who feels life is no more worth living because of an HIV positive result and contemplates suicide? Or the one who refuses to be consoled and falls into depression also because of a HIV positive result. In my work as a Counselor, I have come to see the links between HIV and mental health (especially the ways in which they interact - people living positively are more prone to mental health challenges while those living with mental health challenges can be more prone to HIV). I will be sharing more with you in future blogs...