Seeking folks for a story in POZ and AIDSmeds on PTSD and HIV

[David Evans]

I am one of the Forums moderators and an editor with AIDSmeds and POZ. Recently, I wrote a brief news report about a study showing that people with HIV have high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): http://www.poz.com/articles/hiv_pstd_stress_761_18966.shtml.

Now I'm doing a longer piece for the POZ print magazine on the subject. The two main thrusts of the story are that:

1. People who have PTSD are more likely to become infected in the first place.

2. Once a person is HIV-positive, he or she often experiences rejection, loss and illness, all of which can be traumatizing.

I'm hoping to find someone with one or both of these experiences, who is HIV-positive and who has been formally diagnosed with PTSD—and most importantly, who is willing to be out about both in the pages of POZ.

If you aren't comfortable being out about your HIV-status we might still be able to use your story, but our readers generally prefer—and benefit from—people who openly share their experience.

Either way, if you're interesting in talking further, please send me a message through the Forum (the IM or mail buttons to the left of this posting) by Wednesday, September 15. I'd need to conduct the interview this Thursday or Friday.

Thanks a bunch,
David Evans

[GSOgymrat]

I'm interested to know more about whether people diagnosed with PTSD are more likely to become infected with HIV.

[Rev. Moon]

I'm interested to know more about whether people diagnosed with PTSD are more likely to become infected with HIV.

Same here (and wondering if this is exclusive to PTSD of a sexual nature). Looking forward to this article from David.

[emeraldize]

Hi David,

Like the others, I'm interested in this "1. People who have PTSD are more likely to become infected in the first place. " as well.

Is there a study that backs this up?Em


Never mind. Found what I need. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4345/is_2_36/ai_n29416372/
Good luck with the article.

[David Evans]

Hi Guys and Gal,

I'm really glad you're interested. It's a complicated issue, and there's not a ton of research yet, but in one study of men in the Veterans Affairs system, guys with a combination of PTSD and drug abuse were 12 times more likely to become infected than men without those problems.

Numerous studies have found that women and men who were victims of sexual and physical abuse, particularly as children, are far more likely to engage in high risk behaviors and to ultimately become infected later in life. Most of these studies haven't specifically controlled for PTSD, but people who experience these kinds of abuse are far more likely to to develop PTSD than the general population, so the thinking goes that PTSD does have an effect here.

More to come in the article. Stay tuned.

-D

[natthai]

What about suicide or suicidal thoughts after learning about your diagnosis. I wonder how common this is? Is this part of PTSD?

[joemutt]

1. People who have PTSD are more likely to become infected in the first place.

2. Once a person is HIV-positive, he or she often experiences rejection, loss and illness, all of which can be traumatizing.

So you will be reporting on PTSD as a cause AND as a consequence of HIV infection? I think those are two very different subjects/articles.