MHM Magazine

psychosocial needs from the outset. 2. Consistent inclusion of U=U messaging in counselling to reinforce both health and prevention. 3. Training healthcare workers to communicate with empathy and without stigma. 4. Involving people living with HIV in advocacy and service design to ensure authenticity and relevance. 5. Communicating U=U clearly and in culturally resonant ways to reduce confusion and scepticism. 6. Embedding mental health and HIV integration into public health systems as recommended by UNAIDS and WHO. The evidence is clear: mental health is not secondary to HIV treatment, it’s fundamental. Without addressing depression, trauma, and stigma, U=U cannot achieve its full transformative power. As I often express, “U=U is not just clinical; it’s emotional, psychological, and social. It shifts the narrative from fear and shame to hope and empowerment.” South Africa, and the global community at large, must continue to integrate mental health into HIV programmes to ensure that people living with HIV can move beyond survival and truly live - with dignity, resilience, and joy. EDITORIAL Feet propped on the coffee table, Too weary to brew the tea I crave. Sadness, despair, hopelessness, pain— I am drenched in them, day after day. I listen to my patients’ stories, Feel the world’s ache through their tears, Palpate the invisible wounds That no one else can see. Exploitation, victimisation, trauma— The depths of human suffering Sometimes press so heavily I fear my own heart may dull. The heart that led me to medicine, The heart that longed to heal, To make a difference, To hold humanity gently in my hands. Yet the system grinds on, And I feel like a cog trapped in its wheel. “Am I truly making a difference?” Echoes in the quiet moments. So if you see your physician tired, If you feel she doesn’t care— Know she does. She just needs to care for herself, too. WOUNDED HEALERS Devina Maya Wadhwa 2 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 2025 | Issue 5 MHM