While mental health concerns keep affecting most individuals due to their lifestyle and fast-paced life, specific individuals have a greater risk and vulnerability towards developing a mental health disorder. One such group of people is the ones who are diagnosed as HIV-positive and have been living through the turmoil of having a chronic disease. They are more likely to report concerns like anxiety and depression due to the high stress associated with the mental and physical cost of living as an HIV-positive individual. Due to ill-informed conceptions about HIV, people who are HIV-positive face discrimination and stigmatization from the larger community. In response to that, they undergo drastic changes in their social support and general resources, including that mental health services. Moreover, HIV comes with other infections that might affect the nervous system of the individual and lead to changes in thinking and behavioral patterns. All these factors make it essential for HIV-positive individuals to readily look after their mental health and seek help for their overall well-being.

HIV AND MENTAL HEALTH

It can be a terrifying experience when you learn that you have HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). When you first discover that you have HIV, it's common to experience sadness, worry, and dread. The good news is that early diagnosis and therapy helps many HIV-positive patients.

LIVING WITH HIV

Most Indians refuse to believe that heterosexual transmission accounts for 80 percent of infections in India. The virus has expanded the boundaries of high-risk groups to include adolescent girls (married and single); married women of reproductive age; sexually active single women; sex workers; college and university students; pregnant women; and women survivors of sexual abuse and rape. Women constitute 25 percent of known AIDS cases in the country, according to NACO. Data indicate that seven of 10 women affected by HIV are from poor rural and poor urban communities. Their heightened vulnerability has both biological and socio-economic reasons. Early marriage, violence and sexual abuse against women are the major socio-economic reasons of their vulnerability to HIV infection. Their biological construct makes them more susceptible to HIV infection in any given heterosexual encounter.

HIV AND WOMEN

Imagine walking in for any kind of medical testing without much knowledge about what might or might not unfold; the feeling attached to it might be very nerve-wracking. Individuals who go in for HIV testing can have a lot of varied experiences, like confusion, apprehension, stress, anxiety, and feelings of guilt.