The delusion of infection with HIV

This article briefly describes the consultation-liaison service of the HIV/AIDS service of the Royal North Shore Hospital, and reviews three men who had the delusional belief of being infected with HIV.

Twenty-three consecutive referrals from the HIV/AIDS unit to consultation-liaison psychiatry were reviewed. Three of these patients persistently believed that they were infected with HIV despite low risk factors and negative blood tests.

These three men had a major depression. Two of the three patients were offered treatment with psychotherapy and antidepressant medication. The third declined psychiatric follow-up.

The presentation of a patient for HIV testing, with an atypical history, should raise the interviewer's concern that there may be an underlying mental illness, in particular a depressive disorder.