ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I address many aspects of AIDS. First, in order to provide a historical perspective, I tell, from my own viewpoint, how the AIDS epidemic evolved and how psychological attitudes, among patients and all of society, have shifted. In particular, I explore ways in which psychoanalysis can help us understand the terrible, irrational reactions that have made the AIDS epidemic not only a medical tragedy, but a psychological tragedy for society and individuals. I then describe what we have learned, from a psychodynamic perspective, about working with people with AIDS and people with concerns about HIV. We have learned many ways in which psychoanalytic principles can be adapted and expanded to allow all psychotherapists, in many difficult situations, to help people with AIDS and those who love them and take care of them.
