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    Finding Hope, Spirituality and Faith: An inspirational book for those afflicted with HIV, family members, friends and partners
    Finding Hope, Spirituality and Faith: An inspirational book for those afflicted with HIV, family members, friends and partners
    Finding Hope, Spirituality and Faith: An inspirational book for those afflicted with HIV, family members, friends and partners
    Ebook80 pages1 hour

    Finding Hope, Spirituality and Faith: An inspirational book for those afflicted with HIV, family members, friends and partners

    By TJ Wicker

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    About this ebook

    In my first book, Neuropsychiatric Comorbidities with HIV and Antiretroviral Therapy, I gave an overview of HIV, the comorbidities that couple with the disease itself, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV positive persons, whether newly diagnosed or those that are 2nd & 3rd and even 4th generation, long-term survivors. Within the following chapters in this book, my goal is to give persons afflicted with the disease and also for those who are either, a partner, family member, friend or loved one, inspiration and hope in dealing with this global pandemic. There is life after HIV!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTablo Publishing
    Release dateFeb 10, 2020
    ISBN9781922381606
    Finding Hope, Spirituality and Faith: An inspirational book for those afflicted with HIV, family members, friends and partners

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      Book preview

      Finding Hope, Spirituality and Faith - TJ Wicker

      Chapter 1

      HIV Stigma

      A diagnosis of HIV infection carries both physical and social ramifications. Physically, testing HIV-positive means that one has contracted a life-threatening disease. PLWH typically suffer detriments to their immune systems which increase their vulnerability to opportunistic diseases (e.g., bacterial and viral infections, neurological diseases, and cancers) that may ultimately result in death. Socially, HIV infection also means that one has gained a mark of stigma, that can lead to devaluation in a variety of contents. Stigmatization is a major issue that societies and support organizations have to contend with in dealing with the problems of HIV/AIDS. Therefore, HIV infection not only means that one has to living with and managing a chronic health condition; it also means that one will most likely face social stigma that may fundamentally change the way one perceives oneself and interacts with others.

      Stigma can affect the care and acceptance of people who are HIV positive in their society. After a person has tested positive with HIV, they face the decisions that include how to enter and adhere to care, and whether to disclose their HIV seropositivity to their partners, friends, family, loved ones, colleagues, employers and even health care providers, as well as on the self-worth, sense of belonging (e.g., in community or faith based settings) and overall general quality of life.

      Conversely, stigma can also trigger positive forces for change and networks of solidarity that rise to challenge the social norms and practices that marginalize, stigmatize and discriminate. Stigma is a powerful and discrediting social label that radically and negatively affects the ways individuals view themselves and the ways others view the individual as a person. HIV-related stigma and discrimination refers to prejudice, negative attitudes and abuse directed at people living with HIV and AIDS. 

      Stigma can also have a persuasive presence in the everyday lives of many people living with HIV, as well as many people who care for, are married to or are friends with PLWH. Stigma can also affect people linked with HIV in other ways through their sexual practices, such as) same-sex attraction), or professions, such as (sex work), or behaviors, such as (injection drug users) that are associated with HIV transmission. 

      In 35% of countries with available data, over 50% of people report having discriminatory attitudes towards people living with HIV. Stigma and discrimination also make people vulnerable to HIV. Those most at risk to HIV (key affected populations) continue to face stigma and discrimination based on their actual or perceived health status, race, socioeconomic status, age, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity or other grounds. Stigma and discrimination manifests itself in many ways. Discrimination and other human rights violations may occur in healthcare settings, barring people from accessing health services or enjoying quality health care. Some people living with HIV and other key affected populations are shunned by family, peers and the wider community, while others face poor treatment in educational and work settings, erosion of their rights, and psychological damage. These all limit access to HIV testing, treatment and other HIV services.

      Stigmatization is a dynamic social process that arises from the perception that an individual has undesirable attributes, thus, reducing him in the eye of the society. Stigmatization sets an individual or group apart from the majority of the population with the result that the individual or group is treated with suspicion or hostility and that others regard them as tainted and discounted. People with discreditable attributes may seek to hide their attributes and avoid stigma or undertake information management by controlling what they tell others. 

      Self-stigma and fear of a negative community reaction hinders efforts to address the HIV epidemic by continuing this great wall of silence and shame surrounding the virus. Negative self-judgement resulting in shame, worthlessness, hopelessness and blame represent an important but neglected aspect of living with HIV. HIV stigma is unnecessary judgment and discrimination placed on those who want nothing more than a life without the virus.

      Self-stigma affects a person’s ability to live positively and limits meaningful self-agency, quality of life, adherence to treatment and access to health services. HIV stigma first originated from a fear of death. It was part of the anxiety of an illness that had such a devastating impact during the early years of the epidemic. Social stigma today toward those of us living with HIV is actually much greater than it was when I was diagnosed in 1986. Back then, we were so traumatized by learning about our diagnosis, mostly because we were afraid of dying. Presumably so, it was a death sentence at the time. There were some people that even kicked out their positive roommates or disowned their family members, not because of stigma, per se, but because they were deathly afraid of HIV and of contagion.

      Now in present day 2019, and with the tremendous advances in technology, we now know that HIV can be a manageable condition, although the social stigma is still present, even though science has made HIV controllable, the cloud of stigma is still prevalent. It’s like a huge scar across the entire society, always reminding us of the looming shadow of AIDS and the shame of those who are infected.

      Stigma is mostly expressed in language. Since the onset of this pandemic, the powerful metaphors associating HIV, are with death, guilt, punishment, crime, horror and ‘otherness’ and have compounded and legitimated stigmatization. This kind of language derives from, and contributes to, another aspect underpinning blame and distancing; people’s fear of a life-threatening illness. Some fear-based stigma is attributable to people’s fear of the outcomes of HIV infection. In particular, the high fatality rates (especially in areas where treatment is not widely accessible), fear related to transmission, or fear stemming from witnessing the visible debilitation of advanced AIDS. Stigma is so very deeply rooted, operating within the values of everyday life.

      Although images associated with AIDS may vary, sadly, they are all patterned so as to ensure that AIDS-related stigma plays into, and reinforces, social inequalities. While the quality of life has improved enormously for people with HIV in the past 39 years, many of the same social and psychological barriers remain.

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