Although efforts have been made and continue to be made to reduce the rate of HIV transmission in the U.S. and globally, the rates continue to increase in the majority of countries. In the U.S., members of minority communities remain especially at risk of HIV transmission. An individual’s discovery that he or she has contracted HIV, or that a loved one has contracted the illness, often raises significant issues that necessitate interaction with mental health professionals. Mental Health Practitioner’s Guide to HIV/AIDS serves as a quick desk reference for professionals who may be less familiar with the terminology used in HIV/AIDS care and services.

As HIV/AIDS continue to plague societies around the world, more and more social workers encounter HIV-infected individuals and their families and friends who are searching for help and support. In HIV and Social Work: A Practitioner's Guide, experienced social workers share their practice wisdom, knowledge, and skills on a broad range of issues. Their words of wisdom will give you the willingness to follow problems through and the flexibility and creativity that are required when dealing with issues concerning HIV/AIDS. At the same time, you will achieve a sense of empowerment and optimism as you realize that there are things you can do--very specific kinds of help you can offer--that can make an enormous difference in the lives of people with HIV/AIDS and those who love and care for them. HIV and Social Work is a practical, user-friendly resource for social workers who practice in a variety of settings and fields. You'll find it a rich and useful book if you're moving into HIV/AIDS work and want guidance, or if you're experienced and want to sharpen your skills, or if you just want to be prepared for when you find people with HIV or their family members in your office in need of help. Specifically, you'll gain valuable insight about: basic psychosocial interventions for people with HIV/AIDS in-depth practical suggestions for specific problem areas and specific groups of people with HIV/AIDS better listening skills how to know your own limitations and live your own life more fully in the face of sadness the importance and challenge of returning to fundamental social work skills You'll refer to HIV and Social Work time and time again as you confront new HIV-related situations in your practice for which you need easy-to-understand descriptions of what to do and how to do it. Acknowledging your busy schedule, the book is organized so that you may use it on a “knowledge as needed” basis or read it straight through. Written specifically by and for social workers, HIV and Social Work is highly recommended as required reading in social work programs at the Bachelor's and/or Master's levels.

The last decade has seen tremendous gains in our understanding of the profound impact of HIV/AIDS on brain functioning. This comprehensive handbook is designed for mental health clinicians, especially those without extensive neurological training, who need to be able to recognize and address HIV-associated cognitive/motor impairment, dementia, and related disorders. The book presents the most current information on neurological and neuropsychiatric manifestations of HIV disease, promotes early identification of neurologically related mental status disturbances, and details common psychiatric features seen in these patients. Treatment issues are covered in depth, with chapters on pharmacology, psychotherapeutic approaches, and occupational therapy. Special attention is given to ethical and legal issues that may confront helping professionals, patients, and significant others.

Understanding AIDS was written to provide a broad overview of HIV infection and AIDS based on the empirical literature for psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors, psychotherapists, social workers, and other mental health professionals. The book is not solely intended for practitioners who wish to specialize in caring for persons affected by HIV. Rather, the author's hope is that all clinicians will have adequate knowledge and sensitivity to HIV-AIDS and its related issues. Because the research literature is rapidly expanding, and because some empirical studies may have missed their mark in explaining aspects of HIV-related experiences, 63 men and women of diverse ethnic and HIV-risk backgrounds were interviewed as part of the research for this book. Their experiences help place the empirical literature in proper perspective.

This book is a practical guide in understanding how to prevent HIV transmission, to recognize risk behaviors, and to add something else to their repertoires. It aims to empower clinicians and provide a sense of security and competence with the recognition and understanding of some of the psychiatric illnesses that complicate and perpetuate the HIV pandemic that continue to persist throughout every area of the world despite the magnitude of the progress that has transformed the illness from a rapidly fatal to chronic illness that is no longer life-limiting. Missing in most of the literature on HIV is the subtle, and sometimes not so subtle, contribution of psychiatric symptoms, psychiatric illness, and risk behaviors that drive the pandemic and serve as catalysts for new infections. This practical guide provides state-of-the-art understanding of not only prevention but also a way to recognize risk behaviors, psychiatric symptoms, and psychiatric illnesses that will demystify and decode the sometimes enigmatic and frustrating reasons for nonadherence with diagnostic procedures and life-saving treatments and care. All behaviors and pathology are covered as well as the resources and treatments available. The goal of this text is to refresh knowledge on the current state of psychiatric illness management among people living with HIV, to provide a concise volume on the psychiatric aspects of HIV prevention and treatment that substantially impact the overall care of the patient, and to help understand the psychiatric catalysts of the pandemic Written by experts in the field, HIV Psychiatry: A Practical Guide for Clinicians provides enduring guidance to medical and other professionals caring for complicated clinical patients as they face ongoing challenges in working with persons with HIV and AIDS.

The Handbook of AIDS Psychiatry is a practical guide for AIDS psychiatrists and other mental health professionals as well as for other clinicians who work with persons with HIV and AIDS and a companion book to the Comprehensive Textbook of AIDS Psychiatry (Cohen and Gorman, 2008). The Handbook provides insights into the dynamics of adherence to risk reduction and medical care in persons with HIV and AIDS as well as strategies to improve adherence using a biopsychosocial approach. Psychiatric disorders can accelerate the spread of the virus by creating barriers to risk reduction. Risky sexual behaviors and sharing of needles in intravenous drug users account for the majority of new cases each year. Delirium, dementia, depression, substance dependence, PTSD, and other psychiatric disorders complicate the course and add considerably to the pain and suffering of persons with AIDS. HIV infection and AIDS also are risk factors for suicide, and the rate of suicide has been shown to be higher in persons with AIDS. Psychiatric care can help prevent HIV transmission through recognition and treatment of substance-related disorders, dementia, and mood disorders such as mania. Comprehensive, coordinated care by a multidisciplinary AIDS team, including AIDS psychiatrists, can provide a biopsychosocial approach that is supportive to patients, families, and clinicians. Psychiatric interventions are valuable in every phase of infection, from identification of risk behaviors to anticipation about HIV testing; from exposure and initial infection to confirmation with a positive HIV antibody test; from entry into systems of care to managing complex antiretroviral regimen; from healthy seropositive to onset of first AIDS-related illness; from late stage AIDS to end-stage AIDS and death. There is no comprehensive handbook of AIDS psychiatry to guide clinicians in providing much needed care. The Handbook of AIDS Psychiatry is a practical pocket guide that provides protocols for the recognition and treatment of the psychiatric disorders most prevalent in persons with AIDS and most relevant for primary physicians, infectious disease specialists, and other caregivers because of their impact on health, adherence, behavior, and quality of life.

A Guide for Counselors in the AIDS Community This practical and state-of-the-art compedium is a rich resourcethat should be a 'must read' for every health professional workingin the field of HIV. . . . The book is bound to instantaneouslybecome the standard against which other books in the field will bejudged. --Michael Shernoff, editor of The Second Decade of AIDS: A MentalHealth Practice Handbook and Counseling Chemically DepAndent Peoplewith HIV Illness Highlighting the work of pioneers in the field, this important bookis a comprehensive resource for professionals and volunteersworking in the HIV epidemic. Now that the epidemic has been with usfor more than a decade, researchers and clinicians have had theopportunity to explore the results of the AIDS virus--see thepopulations affected, note the medical and emotional issues facedby those infected, and think about ways to help. This anthologyoffers a wealth of practical information and innovative advice. Theauthors address the therapeutic challenges of treating thispopulation and offer guidance for dealing with issues such ascountertransference, grief management, multiple loss, and assistedsuicide. The book also describes specific treatment techniques forworking with clients with HIV and dual diagnoses such as substanceabuse and psychiatric disorders.

This volume provides an update on HIV-related issues for mental health professionals. It includes an overview of basic medical facts, neuropsychiatric manifestations, common psychiatric syndromes and their treatment, psychotherapy and coping strategies, prevention, adherance, legal and ethical issues, and some examples of HIV-related clinical care by frontline mental health providers. This is the 88th issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Mental Health Services.

Praise for Handbook of HIV and Social Work "Cynthia Cannon Poindexter has given us a remarkable edited volume that contains much information on HIV that every professional social worker needs to know in order to practice competently in today's complex world."—From the Foreword by Vincent J. Lynch, MSW, PhD, Boston College Graduate School of Social Work "This comprehensive handbook assembles a group of social work scholars and practitioners to participate in, guide, and address many of the unresolved challenges characterizing the HIV debates. This handbook is a valuable and timely addition to the literature."—King Davis, MSW, PhD, The Robert Lee Sutherland Chair in Mental Health and Social Policy, The University of Texas at Austin School of Social Work "This handbook is an outstanding resource for the social work professional working to ensure equal access to care, treatment, and resources for all persons living with and/or affected by HIV."—Evelyn P. Tomaszewski, MSW, Project Director, NASW HIV/AIDS Spectrum: Mental Health Training and Education of Social Workers Project "This book is an excellent, up-to-date guide on HIV. It is an indispensable resource for all those who work with HIV and all its complications."—Leon Ginsberg, MSW, PhD, Dean Emeritus, University of South Carolina School of Social Work and Editor, Administration in Social Work The most current knowledge on the HIV pandemic in a thorough, diverse, and accessible volume This invaluable book draws on a distinguished roster of HIV advocates, educators, case managers, counselors, and administrators, assembling the most current knowledge into this volume. Handbook of HIV and Social Work reflects the latest research and its impact on policy and practice realities, with topics including: History, Illness, Transmission, and Treatment Social Work Roles, Tasks, and Challenges in Health Care Settings HIV-related Community Organizing and Grassroots Advocacy The Impact of HIV on Children and Adolescents HIV-affected Caregivers