Behavioral Aspects of AIDS

As we enter the last decade of the twentieth century, the AIDS epidemic looms ever larger and threatening. The specter of upwards of a million deaths in the United States and perhaps many millions worldwide from a sexually transmitted virus shakes our belief in modem medical science, while challenging the foundations of democratic society. Almost ten years into the epidemic, and with an enormous body of basic science research on the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), we still do not know why AIDS emerged when it did or how to stop its spread. A very humbling experience for scientists, clinicians, public health experts, politicians, and the general public. Yet there are signs that a well coordinated multidisciplinary research program can conquer the epidemic and, perhaps, provide the basis for preventing future epidemics. The HIV family of viruses is now better understood, both in terms of structure and function, than any other virus. Genetically engineered peptides and nucleic acids are being tested as specific treatments or vaccines against HIV infection/disease. Most prom- ising are the strides which have been made in understanding those aspects of human behavior which have contributed to the spread of HIV infection and which must be substantially modified if AIDS is to be controlled and eventually eradicated. The basis of that understanding has roots in a diverse set of disciplines which have converged in the work presented in this book.

Table of Contents:
A New Social Reformer: The Patient.- 1. Psychiatric Aspects of AIDS: An Overview.- 2. Psychovenereology: Psychological Aspects of AIDS and Other Sexually Transmissible Diseases.- 3. Educational Strategies for Prevention of Sexual Transmission of H.- 4. AIDS Prevention among Gay and Lesbian Youth: Psychosocial Stress and Health Care Intervention Guidelines.- 5. Women at High Risk of HIV Infection: Behavioral, Prevention, and Intervention Aspects.- 6. Prostitution and AIDS.- 7. Intravenous Drug Use and AIDS.- 8. Moving beyond Counseling and Knowledge-Enhancing Interventions: A Plea for Community-Level AIDS Prevention Strategies.- 9. Overview: The Management of the HIV-Positive Patient with Neuropsychiatric Impairment.- 10. Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute Psychological Problems Related to HIV Infection and Disease.- 11. Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurologic Disorders in AIDS and Other Sexually Transmitted Diseases.- 12. Diagnosis and Management of HIV Primary Dementia.- 13. HIV Disease: Brain—Behavior Relationships.- 14. Somatic Treatment of Psychiatric Symptoms in HIV Disease.- 15. Adjuvant Treatment of HIV Dementia with Psychostimulants.- 16. Consultation/Liaison Psychiatry and AIDS.- 17. Mental Health Services Delivery Issues: The HIV Patient.- 18. Public Health Policy and Bioethical Issues in AIDS: The Case of HIV-Related Neuropsychiatric Illness.- 19. Reactions of Medical Personnel and Intimates to Persons with AIDS.- 20. The Training and Support of Health Care Professionals Dealing with the Psychiatric Aspects of AIDS.- 21. Future Studies in Psychoneuroimmunology.