I was diagnosed with HIV in 2004 and was immediately prepared to deal with the situation, I found proper medical attention and was able to speak openly about it with close friends. Since then however, I have become very numb and detached and I am afraid that my indifference may endanger somebody else. I have few friends in general, and none of them are HIV positive. It feels very alone, but I also have severe social anxiety which hinders going out and meeting other people. I have been seeing both a psychotherapist and a psychiatrist for the last three years and have not been able to overcome my habitual solitude. I need to feel empowered by being HIV positive, not hapless and impotent. Speaking of impotent, my sex life was great, even immediately after testing positive, but over the last two years it's sizzled out to the point where I can barely maintain an erection. I've become afraid of sex, of being rejected and of harming someone else. Affectively, every time I'm placed in a sexual situation I clam up, almost in revulsion. The therapists, psychiatrists and MD know this but it doesn't get any better. Some friendly advice would be nice. -27 and frustrated in California

The prospect of being intimate appears to frighten you. This may help to explain your isolation and the sexual problems. I advise you to focus on this issue in your treatment. You are not likely to have healthy sexual function if you are extremely frightened as you describe. This will require some careful attention in yur treatment.