THEORETICAL CONCERNS IN APPLYING THE DIAGNOSIS OF PTSD TO PERSONS WITH HIV AND AIDS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15270/44-3-238Abstract
Increasingly, mental health professionals, including psychologists, counsellors and social workers, are called upon to assist persons living with HIV to negotiate the mental health consequences of their condition. It has been suggested that serious mental health consequences following diagnosis with HIV are likely to occur and that developing countries may be “heading towards a mental health and social disaster” (Freeman, 2004). Freeman (2004) has identified various categories of persons affected by HIV who may experience psychological difficulties, including those recently diagnosed with HIV. Among recently diagnosed persons, it is thought that several psychiatric conditions may ensue, namely major depressive disorder (Gore-Felton, Koopman, Spiegel, Vosvick, Brondino & Winningham, 2006), generalised anxiety disorder (Pence, Miller, Whetten, Eron & GaGaynes, 2006) and posttraumatic stress disorder (Myers & Durvasula, 1999; Martinez, Israelski, Walker & Koopman, 2002; Olley, Zeier, Seedat & Stein, 2005). This article examines some theoretical concerns regarding the viability of a diagnosis of PTSD for persons who have received a diagnosis of HIV in terms of its implications for mental health counselling.Downloads
References
APA (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION). 1987. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-III-R) (4th ed). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
APA (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION). 1994. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV) (4th ed). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
APA (AMERICAN PSYCHIATRIC ASSOCIATION). 2000. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-IV-TR). (4th ed, text revision). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
AVINA, C. & O’DONOHUE, W. 2002. Sexual harassment and PTSD: is sexual harassment diagnosable trauma? Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15:69-75.
BECKER, M.E., HERTZBERG, M.A., MOORE, S.D., DENNIS, M.F., BUKENYA, D.S. & BECKHAM, J.C. 2007. A placebo-controlled trial of bupropion SR in the treatment of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 27:193-197.
BOEHNLEIN, J.K. & KINZIE, J.D. 2007. Pharmacologic reduction of CNS noradrenergic activity in PTSD: the case for clonidine and prazosin. Journal of Psychiatric Practice, 13:72-78.
ELS, C., BOSHOFF, W., SCOTT, C., STRYDOM, W., JOUBERT, G. & VAN DER RYST, E. 1999. Psychiatric co-morbidity in South African HIV/AIDS patients. South African Medical Journal, 89(9):992-995.
EVANS, D.L., LESERMAN, J., PERKINS, D.O. & STERN, R.A. 1997. Severe life stress as a predictor of early disease progression in HIV infection. American Journal of Psychiatry, 154:830-834.
FREEMAN, M. 2004. HIV in developing countries: eading towards a mental health and consequent social disaster? South African Journal of Psychology, 34:139-159.
GORE-FELTON, C., KOOPMAN, C., SPIEGEL, D., VOSVICK, M., BRONDINO, M. & WINNINGHAM, A. 2006. Effects of quality of life and coping on depression among adults living with HIV/AIDS. Journal of Health Psychology, 11:711-729.
HEMBREE, E.A. & FOA, E.B. 2000. Posttraumatic stress disorder: psychological factors and psychosocial interventions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 61(7):33-39.
ISRAELSKI, D.M., PRENTISS, D.E., LUBEGA, S., BALMAS, G., GARCIA, P. & MUHAMMAD, M. 2007. Psychiatric co-morbidity in vulnerable populations receiving primary care for HIV/AIDS. AIDS Care, 19(2):220-225.
KELLY, B., RAPHAEL, B., JUDD, F., PERDICES, M., KERNUTT, G. & BURNETT, P. 1998. Posttraumatic stress disorder in response to HIV infection. General Hospital Psychiatry, 20(6):345-352.
LESERMAN, J., WHETTEN, K., LOWE, K., STANGLE, D., SWARTZ, M.S. & THIELMAN, N.M. 2005. How trauma, recent stressful events, and PTSD affect functional health status and health utilization in HIV-infected patients in the south. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67(3):500-507.
LUTGENDORF, S.K., ANTONI, M.H., IRONSON, G., KLIMAS, N., FLETCHER, M.A. & SCHNEIDERMAN, N. 1997. Cognitive processing style, mood, and immune function following HIV seropositivity notification. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 21:157-184.
MARTINEZ, A., ISRAELSKI, D., WALKER, C. & KOOPMAN, C. 2002. Posttraumatic stress disorder in women attending human immunodeficiency virus outpatient clinics. Aids Patient Care and STDs, 16(6):283-291.
McNALLY, R.J. 2003. Progress and controversy in the study of posttraumatic stress disorder. Annual Review of Psychology, 54:229-252.
McNALLY, R.J. 2004. Conceptual problems with the DSM-IV criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder. In: ROSEN, G.M. (ed) Posttraumatic stress disorder: issues and controversies. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
MYERS, H.F. & DURVASULA, R.S. 1999. Psychiatric disorders in African American men and women living with HIV/AIDS. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 5:249-262.
NORRIS, F.H. 1992. Epidemiology of trauma: frequency and impact of different potentially traumatic events on different demographic groups. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 60:409-418.
OLLEY, B.O., ZEIER, M.D., SEEDAT, A. & STEIN, D.J. 2005. Post-traumatic stress disorder among recently diagnosed patients with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. AIDS Care, 17:550-557.
OLLEY, B.O., SEEDAT, S., STEIN, D.J. 2006. Persistence of psychiatric disorders in a cohort of HIV/AIDS patients in South Africa: a 6-month follow-up study. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 61:479-484.
PENCE, B.W., MILLER, W.C., WHETTEN, K., ERON, J.J. & GAYNES, B.N. 2006. Prevalence of DSM-IV-Defined mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders in an HIV Clinic in the Southeastern United States. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, 42:298-306.
RESNICK, H.S., KILPATRICK, D.G., DANSKY, B.S. & SAUNDERS, B.E. 1993. Prevalence of civilian trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder in a representative national sample of women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61:984-991.
SCHUSTER, M.A., STEIN, B.D., JAYCOX, L.H., COLLINS, R.L. MARSHALL, G.N., ELLIOTT, M.N., ZHOU, A.J., KANOUSE, D.E., MORRISON, J.L. & BERRY, S.H. 2001. A national survey of stress reactions after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The New England Journal of Medicine, 345:1507-1512.
SHISANA, O., REHLE, T., SIMBAYI, L.C., PARKER, W., ZUMA, K., BHANA, A., CONNOLLY, C., JOOSTE, S. & PILLAY, V. 2005. South African National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, Behaviour and Communication Survey. Cape Town: HSRC Press.
SUMMERFIELD, D. 1999. A critique of seven assumptions behind psychological trauma programmes in war-affected areas. Social Science & Medicine, 48:1449-1462.
SUMMERFIELD, D. 2004. Cross-cultural perspectives on the medicalisation of human suffering. In: ROSEN, G.M. (ed) Posttraumatic stress disorder: issues and controversies. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons.
UNAIDS. 2006. AIDS epidemic update. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS, World Health Organisation.
WORLDMAPPER. 2007. Available: http://www.sasi.group.shef.ac.uk /worldmapper/data/ nomap/227_ worldmapper_data.xls. [Accessed: 19/03/2007].
YOUNG, A. 1995. The harmony of illusions: inventing post-traumatic stress disorder. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited.
Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-4.0
This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation.
Articles as a whole may not be re-published with another journal.
