ABSTRACT
In 1984, when I first mentioned to a friend that I was treating an AIDS patient, I was met with the discouraging question, “What is the use of treating such a patient? You can't cure him anyway!” This kind of comment was typical of people who live in a culture imbued with simple standards of success or failure. Also, at that time patients were not identified as having AIDS until extremely far along in the course of the illness and usually did not live long afterward. Fortunately for present-day HIV and AIDS patients, medical treatment has made such strides that they are now living much longer. Consequently, patients need to consider how to improve the quality of their longer life spans, and therapists now have the time to learn more about the special issues that arise for people living with HIV and AIDS and to decide how to meet them.
