From "death sentence" to the hope of survival: a psychological renunciation? ("Highly active antiretroviral treatments" and living with HIV)

Learning that one has contracted a lethal disease causes a great deal of ps ychological confusion. When this fatal prognostic is questioned and hope of survival is seen, then a psychological reorganization is required. Of what sort? It has often been described as "loss of bereavement". From a psyche- pathological point of view, this model of loss does not seem very convincin g. We shall discuss it and propose another model based on the connection be tween death and knowledge. Myths, particularly that of Oedipus at Colonus, and the situation of HIV patients treated by the "new highly active antiret roviral treatments" are the basis and clinical references for this study.