The proposed project will develop and produce three educational packages - videotape with companion brochure - to educate patients and caregivers about mental health issues for adults, adolescents, and children living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs). The videotapes and brochures will focus on mental health issues caused directly by the disease such as: depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, HIV-assoicated dementia, HIV-associated minor motor/cognitive disorder, as well as issues caused indirectly by the psycho-social pressures unique to PLWHAs living in both urban and rural settings. The materials will address how mental health relates to the issue of adherence to combination drug therapies. This series will meet critical social and medical needs, as well as offering commercially viable products. In a near-finished state, these materials will be reviewed by our Board of Advisors to ensure factual accuracy and attentiveness to current trends in HIV/AIDS research. They will be tested through focus groups to ensure that the materials are effective communication tools with our target audiences. The final research will be quantitative testing of the finished products to determine the extent the materials have improved the understanding and behavioral outcomes of PLWHAs and their caregivers with respect to mental health. PROPOSED COMMERICIAL APPLICATION The complete educational packages will be marketed to individuals and families through AIDS service organizations, clinics, mental health professionals, and video distributors who specialize in AIDS media. State of the Art has successfully marketed several other videotape/print packages to this market and already has contacts and established relationships to assist in the marketing.
