Counselling in HIV infection

HIV infection and AIDS have focused attention on counselling as a major and integral part of the total clinical care of HIV seropositive and AIDS patients. There is, as yet, no cure for HIV infection and treatment is of the symptoms as they appear. This combined with the lack of knowledge of how the infection may progress has led to a very great uncertainty for the patients, their families, their sexual partners and the staff who are looking after them. For the haemophiliac patient here has been the additional problem of having been clearly identified as one of the AIDS risk groups resulting in many haemophiliacs being reluctant to disclose that they have haemophilia. The question of confidentiality, of the worried well, of the responses of others and of counselling for family and partners are also discussed.