The HHS Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released Prevention and Treatment of HIV Among People Living with Substance Use and/or Mental Disorders, a guidebook that addresses the co-occurrence of HIV and mental illness and/or substance use disorder (SUD) and reviews effective programs and practices to prevent HIV and, for those with HIV, to increase linkage and retention to care in order to improve health outcomes.

Mental illness and SUD are linked to behaviors that can increase a person’s likelihood of getting HIV and can negatively impact HIV care, treatment, and related health outcomes. The prevalence of mental illness and SUD among people with HIV is also higher than among the general population. Thus, a priority topic for SAMHSA is preventing HIV among people with mental illness and/or SUD and linking people with HIV and co-occurring mental illness and/or SUD to HIV care.

This free guide includes a variety of modules with information to improve health outcomes for people at risk for developing, living with, or recovering from mental illness and/or SUD and resources for program evaluation. It is part of SAMHSA’s ongoing efforts to implement Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE) initiative, which aims to reduce new HIV infections in the United States by 90 percent by the year 2030, and implement the HIV National Strategic Plan.

Download the guide.