THEMES OF A LONG-TERM AIDS SUPPORT GROUP FOR GAY MEN

Support groups are established psychosocial treatment modalities in wh ich clients address issues resulting from particular problems or diagn oses. In the past decade the support group format has been widely adop ted by community health clinics for persons diagnosed with the acquire d immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). As mainstream health systems assis t more people with AIDS, initial expertise developed from the gay and lesbian health care response to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, believed to be the cause of AIDS) provides valuable information for a ll health care practitioners. This discussion of a long-term (5-year) AIDS support group examines 6 content themes: marginality, making choi ces, coping with the emotional roller coaster, premature confrontation of life issues, living with a chronic illness versus dying with a ter minal disease, and death and dying. The authors inform their observati ons through examining the support group literature for persons living with HIV and other chronic or terminal illnesses.