Health Psychology. Living With HIV/AID
For your final written assignment you’ll design an integrated treatment plan for someone recently diagnosed with a serious disease. Begin by choosing one of the four patients described below. Provide a brief description of the disease and discuss two psychosocial issues that this person will face in relation to living with the disease. Identify a treatment for the disease and note at least two behavioral changes that will be required by the treatment. Then design a program to help the patient make the necessary behavior changes. Come up with a plan to cope and manage the disease. Here are your choices. Patient 1 John is a 59 year old man who has recently been diagnosed with Coronary Artery Disease. He has smoked a pack a day for the past 15 years and has a BMI of 33. He works as an accountant at a local manufacturing plant. His lunch typically consists of pizza, burgers or burritos which he buys in the cafeteria. At home he is a "meat and potatoes" guy who "doesn't like vegetables or salad". He does yard work on the weekends and occasionally takes a walk with his wife around their neighborhood. Patient 2 Lori is a 46 year old mother of three girls (ages 5, 7, and 11). She is a high school math teacher who likes to run, bake and volunteer in her spare time. She has recently separated from her husband. He lives in the same town and they are sharing custody of the girls. Last week she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Patient 3 Chris is a 14 year old boy recently diagnosed with Type I diabetes. He is an average student in 9th grade. He¹s on his school¹s basketball team and loves to participate in any and all sports. He generally gets himself to practice and home again occasionally he gets a ride from a teammate¹s parents. His mother and father both work long hours and Chris often is responsible for preparing dinner for himself to and his 10-year old sister. Chris is very distressed about having to administer insulin and about being different from his friends. Patient 4 Allie is a 28-year old HIV+ woman. She contracted HIV several years ago from a shared needle. According to Allie she has tried to ³clean up her act² but she recently begun using drugs again when she was laid off from her factory job. She lives with her boyfriend and several friends. Since she lost her factory job Allie has engaged in prostitution to earn money for drugs, food and rent. When she worked at the factory she was able to buy antiretroviral medications for her HIV but can no longer afford them.
Living With HIV/AID
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Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a deadly virus that leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS is a condition of the human body which leads to failure of the body immune system hence exposing the human body to attack by deadly diseases such as cancer and diabetes (David, 2004). HIV virus is transferred via blood conduct, lactation, seminal fluid, vaginal fluid and pre-ejaculation. This virus targets protective cells such as CD4+ T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages which are protective cells in the human body. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is the terminal stage of the HIV virus. At this stage, the body lacks any protection hence attacks by simple infections such as malaria are too strong to an individual. Human immunodeficiency virus is indeed the leading killer disease presently. Although it does not kill instantly or after a short period like hypertension and other diseases, AIDS is the most deadly disease in the 21st century.
HIV/AIDS patients are faced with the greatest challenges in life. Unlike other diseases where patients such as children are fairly accepted and accommodated in a society, HIV/AIDS patients have been received harshly regardless of their status or even gender. Discrimination is the greatest challenge which Allie will have to take as part of her entire life. The community tends to segregate a HIV/AIDS patient since this disease is incurable. Although there is medication to reduce the severity of this disease, the largest scope of the global community still lags in the terrific lake of discrimination. Unfortunately, the society seems to miss the point by discriminating young Allie and other HIV/AIDS patient.
Despite her condition, her society has a greater role to play in restoring hope to the already broken young lady. Discrimination will not only worsen the HIV/AIDS condition but also traumatize Allie. At the age of 28 years, this young lady is at her peak in terms of energy, working ability as well as service to the society. However, there is a great possibility that the community is bound to lose this young lad to death of suicide because of trauma.
Alllie is already suffering from depression. After testing HIV+, Allie gets in to drugs and alcoholism simply because of her guilty conscience as well as confusion. Unfortunately, she has now worsened her condition as well as putting those in the prostitution business at a risk of combating the deadly disease. Drug abuse is actually as lethal as combatting HIVV/AIDS. Although the alcohol and drugs might give Allie periodic relief, these drugs are weakening her body at a faster rate when compared to a HIV/AIDS patient who has gone through counseling and is currently leading a disciplined life.
The condition of guilty conscience is very harmful since it is the driving force to all these atrocities. If Allie is in a careless society, then she is at a risk of even committing suicide as a result of depression, guilty conscience and low esteem. It is important to note that young people have similar anxi...