[Psychosocial consequences of HIV infection]

A questionnaire survey of 103 patients of the Paris Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital measures the changes in family life, work relations and in sexual behaviour occurring after an HIV infection diagnosis. Most patients choose to keep their diagnosis secret, an attitude that places them into a double bind situation. This silence, chosen as a mean of self-protection, prevents patients from making themselves understood and from mobilising the material and psychological help they need.