The country has registered more than 300 deaths in the first half of 2025 and an estimated past-year prevalence of suicidal ideation or behaviors (SIBs) above 10 percent.
There are 75,000 Adolescents living with HIV and AIDS (ALWH) in Malawi, who attend adolescent-only Anti-Retroviral Therapy “Teen Clubs” on Saturdays within the 10-19 age bracket.
They are provided with resource-appropriate interventions that address suicide risk, reduce depression, and encourage engagement in HIV care by the Ministry of Health and implementing partners.
This is done using the Friendship Bench and Peer Support (PS) methods by young (mid-20s) psychosocial counselors and trained, youth-friendly peer supporters living with HIV aged 18-21 years.
Dr. Steve Mphonda Mental Health Study Coordinator under the University of North Carolina (UNC) Project Malawi describes the phenomenon as a big issue due to lack of adequate mental health professionals because such services are not readily available in public facilities and a lot needs to be done.
He bemoaned the stigma attached to those living with HIV especially among adolescents noting there are a lot of things that they are experiencing as they are going through developmental stages
Mphonda indicated living with the virus coupled with other challenges makes them to be depressed and suicidal.
“Studies have proved that about 10 percent of adolescents living with HIV in Malawi feel suicidal so this is a big big number if we look at the cases of suicide in Malawi.
“The safety planning study is a study that is looking at adolescents who are living with HIV and have suicidal thoughts. So we’re screening participants in the teen clubs from the public facilities. So those who are eligible we recruit them and we are offering friendship bench as an intervention.
“The aim of the study is to assess feasibility, fidelity and acceptability of the friendship bench plus the safety planning which is also an intervention which helps the adolescents take care of their suicidal thoughts” he said
The friendship bench and the safety planning approach evaluate the fidelity, acceptability and feasibility of the methods used in adolescents with HIV.
The friendship bench has five sessions with one safety planning session and an enhanced peer support session with the aim of having an intervention which can be integrated in the public facilities where adolescents who are living with HIV, with suicidal thoughts, or have depression can be assisted.
UNC Project Malawi mandate is limited to conducting research on various health issues.
Dr. Mlonda observed that some facilities don’t even have a single mental health nurse or clinician and this is a big challenge in care of treatment for those with depression and suicide cases.