Recurring Themes – How It Feels

Many diseases and infections affect a specific part of the body, but HIV lives in the immune system and therefore ultimately impacts the whole body. While health care providers are trained to be experts in highly focused areas within the mental and physical health fields, they need to be sensitive to how the lines between their specialties can blur and work closely with other providers to maximize benefits for patients. Coordinating care is critical, as many medications can become dangerous or ineffective when combined. Side effects for medicines addressing physical ailments can include mental health issues like depression, and medications addressing mental health conditions such as depression may include physical symptoms like nausea or fluctuations in weight. [...]

Looking Forward

Many long-term survivors and their more recently diagnosed peers are struggling with the consequences of the current societal complacency about the AIDS epidemic here in the US. They find themselves without key sources of emotional and practical support as loved ones have succumbed to AIDS or, as with many older … Read More…

An Eloquent Argument For Coordinated Care

Jane E. Brody’s piece for this week’s Health Section of The New York Times — “Tackling Care as Chronic Ailments Pile Up” – speaks directly to two of the central concerns of The Graying of AIDS: the need for better communication between patients and their doctors, and … Read More…