Counselling implications of anxiety and depression in AIDS and HIV infection: A pilot study

Anxiety and depression are two major psychological reactions to HIV infection. The recognition and treatment of these are of fundamental importance as they may alleviate the suffering for those with a potentially terminal illness, may increase coping and may improve the quality of their life. Furthermore, many of the physical symptoms associated with anxiety mirror AIDS symptoms. For prompt care it is important that those with HIV/AIDS, and those caring for them, recognize the role of anxiety to minimize unnecessary symptoms and recognize those which could respond to medical intervention. In this study a group of front line AIDS/HIV workers were given an in-depth training course on anxiety and depression. Evaluation of the course revealed a high number of patients suffering from anxiety (80.1%) and depression (31%). The evaluation revealed gains in counselling proficiency, knowledge and symptom recognition. Some of the entrenched myths, particularly surrounding suicide, were not resolved. These findings are discussed in the light of the difficulties of training non-mental health workers in the use of counselling skills.