ABSTRACT
Background Issues .................................................................................................250 Depression and HIV ..............................................................................................252 Social Support........................................................................................................256 Life Events.............................................................................................................257 Overview................................................................................................................258 References..............................................................................................................259
The last decade has seen a revolution in the treatment of HIV disease. The coming of combination therapy (highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)) has led to a major increase in life expectancy and a reduction in morbidity for those with the disease. People who could once have expected to become disabled and die rapidly after diagnosis are now able to continue to live more or less normal lives, albeit somewhat interrupted by frequent hospital visits and often tiresome medication regimes. At the same time, the disease has spread widely across the world and continues to do so. Treatment is expensive and there is as yet no effective vaccine.
