Abstract
At the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified a number of groups at risk for HIV infection based on the characteristics of the persons known to be affected by this then-mysterious and unknown disease. It later became clear that behavior, rather than presumed commonality of characteristics, was responsible for disease transmission. Accordingly, it is important that mental health care providers counsel their clients regarding behaviors that may increase their risk of becoming infected and the behavioral strategies that they can use to reduce their risk of infection. This is particularly important because clients may be misinformed and believe that because they do not self-identify as a member of one of these initially named risk groups, they are not at risk of the disease.
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Suggested Readings
Altman, L.K. (1983, July 31). Debate grows on U.S. listing Haitians in AIDS category. New York Times.
De Souza, R. (2010). Women living with HIV: Stories of powerlessness and agency. Women’s Studies International Forum., 33, 244–252.
Novick, A. (1997). Stigma and AIDS: Three layers of damage. Journal of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, 1(1), 53–60.
Suggested Resources
http://globalhealth.org/hiv_aids/risk_groups/. Last accessed December 28, 2011
The history of HIV and AIDS in America. Retrieved from December 28, 2011 www.avert.org/aids-history-america.htm.
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Ioan, B.G. (2013). Risk Groups. In: Loue, S. (eds) Mental Health Practitioner's Guide to HIV/AIDS. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5283-6_75
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5283-6_75
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