HIV-Related Depression
Is it normal to worry about dying from AIDS?
Absolutely! When I was first diagnosed 2 years ago I worried a lot about dying from AIDS. Ultimately, 2 years later I've discovered that that worry was misguided. I think I should have worried about living a full and healthy life during that time, instead of worrying about dying from HIV. Because now 2 years later, I'm catching up to life. I'm just now realizing that I have a full and healthy and active life ahead of me, and I wish I had known that 2 years ago. When people get diagnosed with HIV now, sure it's shocking and it can seem depressing, but the more you learn the more you understand that there's great medicine that's available, but it is also a wakeup call and people need to take care of themselves. They need to avoid drugs and alcohol and take care of themselves like they would, any other person would lead a healthy and normal life.
Why should I bother living if I have HIV?
HIV or not, the decision to live a full and healthy life is always your own. If you want to live a healthy, full, and active life, you've got to make that happen. HIV is not a reason to ever veer off from a healthy and full lifestyle.
What do I do if I continually feel depressed about HIV?
Feeling depressed about HIV is normal but when that depression begins to build and lower your quality of life, I think it's time to seek out mental health counselling, HIV support groups, even there's great medication for depression right now. But depression is a normal response to HIV and we all get depressed at some points in our life. I think when people learn more about HIV, they can understand that the HIV may not be the problem, but other things going on in their life may be contributing to depression, and depression is very treatable. I think if you seek out a doctor who has any experience in mental health, you can finance for depression.
What do I do if my support group is depressing?
Sometimes it's good to know about HIV support groups. Sometimes they can seem depressing. Maybe that group is not right for you. That's the time to go ahead and find either another HIV support group or maybe one-on-one counseling or interaction with friends and family. All the things that normal and healthy people do to overcome depression are the very same things to overcoming depression with HIV. If you're a healthy active person who takes care of yourself, and you're still feeling depressed, you can go see a doctor and get referrals. It's important that you just live a full and healthy life as you would a person who was not infected with HIV.